Fermentation for the production of biobased chemicals in a circular economy: a perspective for the period 2022-2050
Chemicals and materials produced from non-renewable, petrochemical feedstocks contribute greatly to the quality of life we currently enjoy. To ensure that quality of life is maintained in the future, it is imperative that we move towards a circular economy, where care is taken to reuse or recycle ma...
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| Published in | Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC Vol. 24; no. 17; pp. 6373 - 645 |
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| Main Authors | , , , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Cambridge
Royal Society of Chemistry
30.08.2022
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Chemicals and materials produced from non-renewable, petrochemical feedstocks contribute greatly to the quality of life we currently enjoy. To ensure that quality of life is maintained in the future, it is imperative that we move towards a circular economy, where care is taken to reuse or recycle materials at their end-of-life and new chemicals and materials are sourced from renewable carbon feedstocks such as biomass. To achieve this transition, efficient conversion methods by which biomass-derived feedstocks can be converted to chemicals are required. The high degree of functionalisation (
i.e.
high content of oxygen atoms) of biomass-derived feedstocks, makes their conversion by microbial fermentation an interesting option. This article provides an overview of currently available fermentation technologies that have the potential to play a role in the production of biobased bulk chemicals in a circular economy in the period up to 2050. Our focus is primarily on technologies that are sufficiently mature to have been implemented on (at least) industrial pilot scale. In addition to an overview of available technologies, we provide a critical assessment of their potential relevance for use in the production of bulk chemicals in a future circular economy. We conclude that seven fermentation processes for the production of (potential) bulk chemicals have already reached a stage of technological maturity where they are ready to be applied in a circular economy. A number of other processes may reach this stage of maturity in the coming years.
A critical review of the potential of fermentation processes for production of bulk chemicals in a future circular economy. |
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| Bibliography: | Niels Nouse obtained his master's degree in Chemistry with a specialisation in Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Currently, he is working as PhD student in a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and Wageningen Food & Biobased Research on the valorisation of (gaseous) carbon waste streams through a combined approach of anaerobic fermentation and (bio)chemical upgrading. Matthijs van Lint is a Business Development Manager at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research and facilitates the interaction of the institute with industrial partners in the field of biobased specialty and platform chemicals. After obtaining his BSc and MSc in Biomedical and Chemical sciences, he acquired his PhD in Chemistry at the Free University of Amsterdam on the topic of natural product synthesis. He continued his career in commerce at a distributor of specialty chemicals, where he built an extensive network of industrial partners, and gained detailed market knowledge on chemical products and intermediates. Tom Ewing works as a research scientist at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, an institute that forms part of Wageningen University & Research. His work focusses on the application of enzymatic conversion technologies for the production of chemicals from renewable resources. Prior to joining Wageningen Food & Biobased Research in 2018, he obtained a PhD degree in the field of enzyme (bio)chemistry from Wageningen University. Jacco van Haveren is Programme Manager Renewable Chemicals and Fuels at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. He is responsible for the overall strategy, marketing, propositions, acquisition of projects and general scientific content for a coherent programme on renewable chemicals and fuels, involving bilateral and public-private financed research projects. His work involves (co-)supervision of a team consisting of on average 30-35 researchers, exploring and integrating expertises such as bio- and chemo-catalysis, electrochemistry, fermentation technology and polymer chemistry. He is the co-author of over 50 publications on renewable green chemistry, including a highly cited review on renewable bulk chemicals. Daan van Es obtained his PhD in physical-organic chemistry from the Free University of Amsterdam, and has been with Wageningen Food & Biobased Research since 1998. His main topics of interest are the catalytic conversion of renewable feedstocks into building blocks for polymers and functional chemicals, and understanding and improving the performance of the products based on them. Increasingly, this includes circularity aspects, such as recyclability and (bio)degradability at end-of-life. Currently he is principal scientist and expertise leader Sustainable and Circular Chemistry, which involves defining long term scientific strategies and developing new R&D concepts. Jeroen Hugenholtz was trained as microbiologist and fermentation expert at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, where he received his PhD in 1986. After working for various Dutch applied research institutes, such as NIZO food research and the Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation, he joined Coca-Cola in 2010 as global head of fermentation. In 2013, he joined Corbion as Corporate Scientist Food Applications, and in 2015 he moved to Wageningen Food & Biobased Research as Group leader Microbial Cell Factories. Since 2005, he also holds a part-time professor chair in Industrial Microbiology at the University of Amsterdam. |
| ISSN: | 1463-9262 1463-9270 |
| DOI: | 10.1039/d1gc04758b |