Sustainable Biopolymers: Economic Feasibility of Microbial Exopolysaccharides Production
摘要
In the industrial sector, microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) have emerged as rapidly proliferating, highly productive, and sustainable biopolymers capable of replacing conventional synthetic polymers. Polysaccharides have garnered significant interest due to their extensive commercial applications across various industries, including food, petroleum, and pharmaceuticals. EPS are particularly advantageous because they are easily biodegradable, highly efficient, non-toxic, and do not contaminate secondary sources. Currently, industrial microbial polysaccharides such as xanthan, dextran, curdlan, gellan, and pullulan constitute a minor segment of the polymer industry, primarily due to their costly production processes. Consequently, substantial research efforts have been directed toward developing more cost-effective and environmentally friendly production methods utilizing less expensive fermentation substrates. Efficiency in EPS production and cost minimization are critical for establishing EPS as a commodity product in large markets. This chapter explores various microbial EPS production processes that employ low-cost biomass resources, including molasses and syrups, cheese whey, olive mill wastewater, pomace from various vegetables and fruits, pulp, kernels, glycerol, and lignocellulosic biomass. To effectively compete with the synthetic polymer market on both economic and performance fronts, it is imperative to develop cost-efficient methods for EPS production.