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Bertolini FA, Soccio M, Weinberger S, Guidotti G, Gazzano M, Guebitz GM, Lotti N, Pellis A. Unveiling the Enzymatic Degradation Process of Biobased Thiophene Polyesters. Front Chem 2021; 9:771612. [PMID: 34869219 PMCID: PMC8634338 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.771612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past 20 years, scientific research focused on the identification of valid alternatives to materials of fossil origin, in particular, related to biobased polymers. Recently, the efforts led to the synthesis of thiophene-based polymers (TBPs), a new class of polyesters based on 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TPCA) that can be industrially produced using biomass-derived molecules. In this study, TBPs were synthesized using diols with different chain length (from C4 to C6) leading to poly(butylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PBTF), poly(pentamethylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PPeTF), and poly(hexamethylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PHTF), respectively, that were processed to thin films. To investigate enzymatic hydrolysis of these polymer films, cutinase 1 (Thc_cut1) and cutinase 2 (Thc_cut2) from Thermobifida cellulosilytica were recombinantly expressed in the host E. coli and purified. After 72 h of incubation at 65°C with 5 µM Thc_cut1, weight loss and HPLC analysis indicated 9, 100, and 80% degradation of PBTF, PPeTF, and PHTG with a concomitant release of 0.12, 2.70, and 0.67 mM of TPCA. The SEM analysis showed that tiny holes were formed on the surface of the films and after 72 h PPeTF was completely degraded. The LC-TOF/MS analysis indicated that Thc_cut2 in particular released various oligomers from the polymer during the reaction. In addition, the FTIR analysis showed the formation of novel acid and hydroxyl groups on the polymer surfaces. The results showed that the two used thermostable cutinases are promising biocatalysts for the environmentally friendly degradation of TPCA-based polyesters, in view of a possible sustainable recycling of plastic waste through resynthesis processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico A Bertolini
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Michelina Soccio
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Simone Weinberger
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Giulia Guidotti
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Massimo Gazzano
- Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity Institute, CNR, Bologna, Italy
| | - Georg M Guebitz
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.,Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Nadia Lotti
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pellis
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.,Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.,Core Facility Bioactive Molecules Screening and Analysis, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
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Fabbri F, Bertolini FA, Guebitz GM, Pellis A. Biocatalyzed Synthesis of Flavor Esters and Polyesters: A Design of Experiments (DoE) Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168493. [PMID: 34445200 PMCID: PMC8395215 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present work, different hydrolases were adsorbed onto polypropylene beads to investigate their activity both in short-esters and polyesters synthesis. The software MODDE® Pro 13 (Sartorius) was used to develop a full-factorial design of experiments (DoE) to analyse the thermostability and selectivity of the immobilized enzyme towards alcohols and acids with different chain lengths in short-esters synthesis reactions. The temperature optima of Candida antarctica lipase B (CaLB), Humicola insolens cutinase (HiC), and Thermobifida cellulosilytica cutinase 1 (Thc_Cut1) were 85 °C, 70 °C, and 50 °C. CaLB and HiC preferred long-chain alcohols and acids as substrate in contrast to Thc_Cut1, which was more active on short-chain monomers. Polymerization of different esters as building blocks was carried out to confirm the applicability of the obtained model on larger macromolecules. The selectivity of both CaLB and HiC was investigated and best results were obtained for dimethyl sebacate (DMSe), leading to polyesters with a Mw of 18 kDa and 6 kDa. For the polymerization of dimethyl adipate (DMA) with BDO and ODO, higher molecular masses were obtained when using CaLB onto polypropylene beads (CaLB_PP) as compared with CaLB immobilized on macroporous acrylic resin beads (i.e., Novozym 435). Namely, for BDO the Mn were 7500 and 4300 Da and for ODO 8100 and 5000 Da for CaLB_PP and for the commercial enzymes, respectively. Thc_Cut1 led to polymers with lower molecular masses, with Mn < 1 kDa. This enzyme showed a temperature optimum of 50 °C with 63% of DMA and BDO when compared to 54% and 27%, at 70 °C and at 85 °C, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Fabbri
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria; (F.F.); (F.A.B.); (G.M.G.)
| | - Federico A. Bertolini
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria; (F.F.); (F.A.B.); (G.M.G.)
| | - Georg M. Guebitz
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria; (F.F.); (F.A.B.); (G.M.G.)
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Alessandro Pellis
- Department of Agrobiotechnology, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria; (F.F.); (F.A.B.); (G.M.G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +43-1-47654-35073
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