Production of renewable energy has been the focus of our society, and lignocellulose, the most abundant macromolecule, appears to be an ideal feedstock due to its low cost and environmental impact. However, breaking down cellulose is the bottleneck of cellulose biorefinery. The cellulolytic isolates existing in nature have limited capacity to destruct the cellulose, and it is genetically difficult to engineer those strains. Synthetic microbial consortia are emerging as promising platforms for various engineering applications. The synthetic consortia hold promise for cellulose biodegradation, as more efficient nutrient cycle could be achieved by functional differentiation and metabolite exchange within the consortia. Enrichment of rumen fluid on cellulose showed robust degradation capacity of cellulose, and the metagenomic analysis revealed key species in cellulose degradation. Efforts have been made by researchers to use synthetic consortia to biodegrade lignocellulose together with production of valuable chemicals. Challenges exist in understanding the molecular mechanism of microbial interactions and rational design of consortia. The occurring revolution in systems biology and synthetic biology tools is likely to assist in optimizing the performance of synthetic microbial consortia for cellulose biorefineries.

Biorefineries using synthetic microbial consortia

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.