A flexible bacterial consolidated bioprocess for conversion of plant biomass into short-chain fatty acids

Research Project, 2022 – 2025

Efficient utilization of plant biomass is important in the shift to a sustainable society. Biochemical processes are regarded as the most sustainable alternative, but they have difficulties in competing with petrochemical processes, partly because they require expensive enzymes to break down the biomass into fermentable sugars. A solution would be to develop consolidated bioprocesses (CBPs), where the microorganisms can produce the necessary enzymes themselves and simultaneously produce desired molecules. Attempts to create CBPs based on model organisms have met with limited success as they lack the enzymatic systems for biomass deconstruction. In this project the goal is to develop a flexible CBP based on bacteria from the Bacteroidetes phylum that have ideal innate abilities – efficient degradation of complex biomass and production of short-chain fatty acids during growth. By modifying their fatty acid production through molecular biology, we can create strains that produce single fatty acids – desirable in industry. Coupled to this, we will create designer strains with assigned carbohydrate degradation profiles, by moving entire gene clusters endowing these capabilities between species via cutting-edge methods. The project will thus yield new strains that through co-culturing can ensure simultaneous deconstruction of all carbohydrates present in industrially relevant biomass and production of fatty acids to be used as building blocks for e.g. plastics and fuels.