Abstract
Significant developments in the understanding and manipulation of microbial metabolism have enabled the use of engineered biological systems toward a more sustainable energy and materials economy. While developments in metabolic engineering have primarily focused on the conversion of carbohydrates, substantial opportunities exist for using these same principles to extract value from more heterogeneous and toxic waste streams, such as those derived from lignin, biomass pyrolysis, or industrial waste. Funneling heterogeneous substrates from these streams toward valuable products, termed biological funneling, presents new challenges in balancing multiple catabolic pathways competing for shared cellular resources and engineering against perturbation from toxic substrates. Solutions to many of these challenges have been explored within the field of lignin valorization. This perspective aims to extend beyond lignin to highlight the challenges and discuss opportunities for use of biological systems to upgrade previously inaccessible waste streams.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Current Opinion in Biotechnology |
Volume | 73 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-2A00-80221
Keywords
- biological funneling
- engineered biological systems
- heterogeneous substrates
- lignin valorization
- metabolic engineering