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Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Scalable Step-by-Step Approach of Sustainable Bioplastic Production from Food Waste
Published on: July 18, 2025
Upcycling of hydrolyzed PET by microbial conversion to a fatty acid derivative
Gina Welsing1, Birger Wolter1, Henric M T Hintzen1
1iAMB-Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt-Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Abstract:
The enzymatic degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) results in a hydrolysate consisting almost exclusively of its two monomers, ethylene glycol and terephthalate. To biologically valorize the PET hydrolysate, microbial upcycling into high-value products is proposed. Fatty acid derivatives hydroxyalkanoyloxy alkanoates (HAAs) represent such valuable target molecules. HAAs exhibit surface-active properties and can be exploited in the catalytical conversion to drop-in biofuels as well as in the polymerization to bio-based poly(amide urethane). This chapter presents the genetic engineering methods of pseudomonads for the metabolization of PET monomers and the biosynthesis of HAAs with detailed protocols concerning product purification.
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