Biofilm-Integrated Glycosylated Membrane for Biosuccinic Acid Production

Biofilm-based cell-immobilized fermentation technology is regarded as the technique with the most potential for biobased product (chemicals, biofuelss materials, etc.) production in industry. Glycosylated membrane can mimic natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and improve cell adhesion and biofilm formation based on carbohydrate-microbial lectin interaction. Here, we applied glycosylated membrane with rhamnose modified surface for constructing Actinobacillus succinogenes biofilm and producing biosuccinic acid. Polymer hollow fiber (PHF) membrane surface was first modified by glycosylation based on physical adsorption approach. The approach is simple, green, and suitable for scale-amplification. Then, the microbial biofilm formed dramatically on the modified membrane surface. And for subsequent biosuccinic acid production, the maximum titer of succinic acid reached 67.3 g/L, and the yield was 0.82 g/g. Compared with free cell fermentation, the titer and yield increased by 18% and 9% in this biofilm-based cell-immobilized fermentation system, respectively. Importantly, the production efficiency of biosuccinic acid increased obviously for subsequent biofilm-based cell-immobilized fermentation. In addition, the biofilm-integrated glycosylated membrane showed high reusability for succinic acid production. This result is important for developing biofilms for a wide range of applications in bioproduct (chemicals, biofuels, materials, etc.) production.