Forest residue, chemical composition

Table 3A.1 Average chemical composition of wood, forest residue,and bark (inner and outer bark) (%of the feedstock dry solids) ...

In this communication we extend our prior observations and demonstrate the use of xylan-rich, hemicellulosic residual fractions of wood for the production of P(3HB-co-3HV) by B. cepacia. Levulinic acid, the secondary carbon source utilized in this bioconversion process, can be produced cost-effectively from a vast array of renewable carbohydrate-rich resources including cellulose-containing forest and agricultural waste residues 24,25). This five-carbon cosubstrate (4-ketovaleric acid) serves as a precursor to the 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) component of the B. cepacia-dtnved P(3HB-co-3HV) copolymer (Figure 1). Further, the mol % 3HV composition and associated physical/mechanical properties of the copolymer can be manipulated as a function of the substrate concentrations provided in the fermentation. Physical-chemical characterizations of such PHA copolymers are reported herein, as evidence supporting the potential of these biodegradable thermoplastics to serve as viable replacements for conventional, environmentally recalcitrant commodity plastics. 

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