Multiscale modeling of the microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates using two carbon sources

Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a promising material for a broad range of plastic products. Due to the high production costs, the proportion of industrial produced polyhydroxyalkanoates is low compared to conventional plastics. One possibility to reduce the costs is to reduce the price of the substrates using organic carbon-rich wastes streams. Using mathematical modeling, the microbial production process can be optimized by adjusting process conditions like the oxygen supply or initial substrate ratios. This contribution outlines a multiscale model for the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production in Cupriavidus necator using the carbon-sources fructose and acetate. The model comprises a hybrid cybernetic model to describe the macroscopic dynamics and a polymerization model which describes the chain length dynamics. The multiscale model is used to analyze the effects of different initial carbon to ammonium ratios and dissolved oxygen levels on the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) concentration and chain length distribution.