Journal article
Development of an efficient poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production platform from lignocellulosic hydrolysates using a robust Cupriavidus necator RXI22 strain
Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC
05/27/2026
DOI: 10.1039/d6gc01068g
Abstract
Lignocellulosic biomass represents a renewable and carbon-neutral feedstock for sustainable biomanufacturing of chemicals, fuels, and materials. In particular, microbial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates offers a promising route toward reducing dependence on petroleum-based plastics and advancing circular bioeconomy strategies. The development of robust microbial hosts coupled with controllable bioprocessing is critical for efficient PHB production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates. In this study, efficient conversion of lignocellulosic hydrolysate sugar mixtures into PHB was established by using a genetically engineered Cupriavidus necator RXI22 strain as a microbial platform. C. necator RXI22, a glucose–xylose co-utilizer, exhibited relatively high cell density and PHB biosynthesis capabilities across diverse glucose–xylose ratios, underscoring its robustness toward the compositional variability inherent to lignocellulosic feedstocks. Systematic characterization of individual and combined hydrolysate-derived inhibitors further revealed that the key compounds limiting the fermentation performance are phenolic compounds, especially ferulic acid. When cultivated on hydrolysates from sugarcane bagasse and rice straw, C. necator RXI22 produced 6.1 and 7.0 g L−1 PHB, respectively, with yields of 0.29–0.30 g g−1, representing the highest performance reported to date under comparable conditions. The results highlight that C. necator RXI22 is compatible with various industrially relevant lignocellulosic feedstocks. To mitigate inhibitory stress, a simple nutritional drop-in strategy was implemented, accelerating biomass accumulation and enhancing PHB productivity under inhibitor-rich conditions. Overall, this study establishes C. necator RXI22 as a promising platform for sustainable lignocellulose-to-PHB bioprocessing and provides insights for advancing eco-efficient biomanufacturing.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Development of an efficient poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production platform from lignocellulosic hydrolysates using a robust Cupriavidus necator RXI22 strain
- Creators
- Habin Sun - Korea Institute of Science and TechnologySo Jeong Lee - Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South KoreaHyun Joong Kim - Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyHyeongmin Seo - University of IowaJeongchan Lee - Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyJung Ho Ahn - Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyGyeongtaek Gong - Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyYoungsoon Um - Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyKyoung Heon Kim - Korea UniversityJa Kyong Ko - Korea Institute of Science and Technology
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC
- DOI
- 10.1039/d6gc01068g
- ISSN
- 1463-9262
- eISSN
- 1463-9270
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Grant note
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology: 26E0311
This research was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF), funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (no. RS-2024-00451875), and the Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts with the National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering (NSF OISE 2435227). The authors also appreciate the additional support provided by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Institutional Programs (26E0311).
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 05/27/2026
- Academic Unit
- Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9985174808502771
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