Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 Lignin Catabolism and Bioplastic Production

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biopolymer that has similar thermomechanical properties as petroleum-based plastics, and is produced by bacteria under certain stress conditions. Unfortunately, the commercial production and widespread adaptation of PHB is limited by higher productions costs. A renewable and cheaper carbon source, such as lignocellulosic biomass, could help reduce production costs. In this study, PHB was produced from the metabolically versatile Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 when grown on lignin breakdown products. Genome-scale metabolic modeling was applied, and three overarching design strategies for the overproduction of PHB were generated. In the end, these design strategies can be used by all PHB-producing bacteria for enhanced PHB production.