Economic Process Evaluation and Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Bio-Aromatics Production

Area of Science:

• Industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology
• Biocatalyst development for aromatic compound production

Background:

• Bio-based production of aromatics is advancing with systems and synthetic biology.
• Petrochemical-derived aromatics currently hold a significant economic advantage due to low cost.
• Strain development for biocatalysts often overlooks economic and environmental process impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the economic and environmental impact of microbial fermentation processes for bio-based aromatics.
• To identify key process parameters influencing production costs and sustainability.
• To provide insights for developing cost-effective and environmentally sound biocatalysts.

Main Methods:

• Estimation of production costs and environmental impact for microbial fermentation.
• Analysis of process variations based on culture pH, carbon source, and production scale.
• Utilized para-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA) as a model compound for shikimate-derived aromatics.

Main Results:

• Production costs and environmental footprint are significantly influenced by culture pH, carbon source, and scale.
• The study quantines the economic and ecological trade-offs associated with different fermentation strategies.
• Findings are transferable to other shikimate-derived aromatic compounds with similar metabolic efficiencies.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive assessment of economic and environmental factors is crucial for successful biocatalyst development.
• Optimizing fermentation parameters can enhance the competitiveness of bio-based aromatic production.
• This work provides a framework for evaluating the sustainability of bioprocesses for bulk chemical manufacturing.