Sustainable Production of 3-Hydroxypropionic acid and Biopolymers from Biomass

The majority of plastics are currently derived from petrochemicals. Their inertness brings growing environmental and human health concerns when disposed of due to their low degradation rates in the environment. The European Commission has adopted the EU plastics strategy, which aims to completely ban single-use plastics by 2030, incentivizing all industries to adopt more sustainable approaches to waste and packaging. By-products from the agro-industry such as Brewer's spent grain (BSG), spent mushroom substrate (SMS), and corn stover (CS) are significant wastes in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United States. All these by-products contain a high amount of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which have the potential to be converted into bioplastic precursors and biopolymers that can be then used as mulch or packaging to be reintroduced in the agro-industry in a truly circular economy. This project aims at (a) converting BSG, SMS, and CS into a bioplastic precursor (3-Hydroxypropionic acid) and biopolymer materials, increasing the environmental sustainability of the cereals/brewing, mushroom production, and corn processing industries, as well as (b) promoting the utilization of renewable resources, reducing petroleum-based plastics, and transitioning to a truly circular economy. In addition, the results will provide guidelines and make recommendations to policymakers and other stakeholders. The synergetic collaboration between the four US-Ireland-Northern Ireland research institutions, i.e., The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), Purdue University (PU), South East Technological University (SETU), and the University of Ulster (UU), provides a significant opportunity to conduct ground-breaking, impactful, multidisciplinary scientific research that would not be possible in isolation. A multi-disciplinary team formed by biologist, chemist, food scientist, engineer, and educator has specific expertise in food chemistry, biomass conversion, metabolic engineering, biomaterial synthesis, technoeconomic analysis (TEA), life cycle assessment (LCA), decision-support tool development, and process design and optimization, making a positive impact on the plastic industry and the environment. The goals of this project are to 1) develop cost-effective and environmentally friendly pathways to upgrade all components of biomass into a bioplastic precursor (3-Hydroxypropionic acid) and biopolymers, and 2) foster a group of knowledgeable and engaged Hispanic workforce. To achieve the research goal, we encompass multiple research objectives: 1) Identifying integrated biomass pretreatment methods to reduce water and chemical consumption and render the pretreated slurry/residues amenable to enzymes and microorganisms (led by Dr. Zhao at UTRGV, US); 2) engineering biological systems that efficiently convert cellulose and hemicellulose into 3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) (led by Dr. Oh at PU, US); 3) Upgrading the fermentation residues to a range of biopolymer materials and exploring their industrial applications (led by Dr. Neves at SETU, Ireland); and 4) conducting TEA and LCA to reveal the economic viability and environmental sustainability (led by Dr. Huang at UU, Northern Ireland). In addition, we will conduct the following educational activities to accomplish our educational goal: 1) Establishing a Spring seminar series to deliver fundamental and advanced knowledge of biomass utilization technologies; 2) Providing Summer experiential learning opportunities to four Hispanic students to carry out research activities; and 3) Hosting Fall symposiums where participants will share research findings and career workshops to boost student career development. By integrating educational and research activities, we aim to advance the understanding of biomass valorisation, increase revenues, empower minority students, and contribute to a more sustainable bioeconomy.