Nanocellulose hydrogel-based living materials: enhancing microbial biotransformation of lignocellulosic biomass

The efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added chemicals is a key strategy for sustainable biomanufacturing. However, inhibitory compounds generated during biomass pretreatment compromise microbial activity and hinder practical valorization. Here, we develop a living biocomposite by integrating Gluconobacter oxydans into a hydrogel matrix constructed from TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCN). This platform presumably shields microbial cells from lignocellulose-derived inhibitors and enhances metabolic activity, enabling efficient xylose conversion into sugar acids. Compared to free cells in untreated hydrolysates, hydrogel-encapsulated G. oxydans doubled xylose consumption and increased total sugar acid yield by 109.7%. These results highlight the potential of TOCN hydrogels as robust, scalable matrices for enhanced biotransformation of lignocellulosic substrates.