[1S02a] 02. AFOB - Part 2

2:25 PM - 2:50 PM JST(5:25 AM - 5:50 AM UTC)

[1AFOB-10-KL] Carbon-Neutral Pulp Alternatives from Bacterial Cellulose: Strain Improvement and a Non-Food Biomass-Derived Production Platform

○Hah Young Yoo¹ (1. Sangmyung University (Korea))

Keywords:

Bacterial cellulose,Strain improvement,Hydrolysate,Bioprocess optimization

Climate change mitigation and forest conservation have intensified the demand for carbon-neutral alternatives to wood-derived pulp. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a biodegradable microbial polymer, is a promising pulp-substitute candidate; however, BC biosynthesis consumes substantial sugars, leading to high production costs and potential competition with food resources. This presentation introduces an integrated platform under development, spanning upstream strain improvement to midstream non-food sugar recovery and bioprocess design. First, BC-producing strains were isolated and identified from fruit peels and various fermented vinegars. High-productivity, food-grade candidate strains were then obtained via random mutagenesis, enabling improved BC production while maintaining food applicability. In parallel, a synthetic biology toolbox (genome editing and expression control) is being established to expand BC toward chemical and specialty-material applications. Second, low-cost non-food feedstocks were selected and converted into fermentable sugars through pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification. The resulting hydrolysates were evaluated as fermentation media, and major process variables were optimized to improve BC production while managing hydrolysate-derived inhibitors. Finally, the current status, remaining technical gaps, and practical directions toward scale-up and continuous production are discussed, providing a roadmap for sustainable BC production platforms.