Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PJ, United Kingdom.
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PJ, United Kingdom.
Biotechnol Adv. 2021 Jan-Feb;46:107680. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107680. Epub 2020 Dec 15.
Biological wax esters offer a sustainable, renewable and biodegradable alternative to many fossil fuel derived chemicals including plastics and paraffins. Many species of bacteria accumulate waxes with similar structure and properties to highly desirable animal and plant waxes such as Spermaceti and Jojoba oils, the use of which is limited by resource requirements, high cost and ethical concerns. While bacterial fermentations overcome these issues, a commercially viable bacterial wax production process would require high yields and renewable, affordable feedstock to make it economically competitive and environmentally beneficial. This review describes recent progress in wax ester generation in both wild type and genetically engineered bacteria, with a focus on comparing substrates and quantifying obtained waxes. The full breadth of wax accumulating species is discussed, with emphasis on species generating high yields and utilising renewable substrates. Key areas of the field that have, thus far, received limited attention are highlighted, such as waste stream valorisation, mixed microbial cultures and efficient wax extraction, as, until effectively addressed, these will slow progress in creating commercially viable wax production methods.
生物蜡酯为许多源自化石燃料的化学品提供了可持续、可再生和可生物降解的替代品，这些化学品包括塑料和石蜡。许多细菌种类积累的蜡与动物和植物蜡（如鲸蜡和荷荷芭油）具有相似的结构和特性，这些蜡的使用受到资源需求、高成本和伦理问题的限制。虽然细菌发酵克服了这些问题，但商业可行的细菌蜡生产工艺需要高产量和可再生、经济实惠的原料，才能使其具有经济竞争力和环境效益。本综述描述了在野生型和基因工程细菌中生成蜡酯的最新进展，重点比较了底物并定量了获得的蜡。讨论了广泛的积累蜡的物种，重点是产生高产量和利用可再生底物的物种。强调了迄今为止受到关注有限的领域，例如废水增值、混合微生物培养和高效蜡提取，因为在有效解决这些问题之前，这些问题将减缓创建商业可行的蜡生产方法的进展。
