Author(s):
Rodrigues, Thomas ; Matias, João ; Moura, Patrícia ; Abreu, Mariana ; Gírio, Francisco ; Braga, Adelaide ; Dias, J. C. ; Rovisco, Ana ; Fortunato, Elvira ; Torres, Cristiana A. V. ; Reis, Maria A. ; Marques, Susana ; Freitas, Filomena ; Silva, Carla J.
Date: 2026
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.9/6490
Origin: Repositório do LNEG
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP/04378/2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement//6817 - DCRRNI IDConcurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)/LA/P/0140/2020/;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement//Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)/LA/P/0037/2020/;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement//3599-PPCDTConcurso de Projetos de I&D em Todos os Domínios Científicos - 2022/2022.05021.PTDC/;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement///2023.03035.BD/;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/9444 - RNIIIE/PINFRA/22059/2016/PT;
Subject(s): Polyhydroxyalkanoates; Thermoplastic; Cotton textile waste; Enzymatic hydrolysis; Waste valorization
Description
ABSTRACT: This study demonstrates the biological valorization of post-consumer cotton-based towels, a significant household textile waste stream, into poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) P(3HB), a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic. The textile waste was mechanically defibrillated, and pre-treated by freezing in NaOH/urea, rendering the cellulose fibers more accessible to saccharification, which was achieved by hydrolysis with Cellic (R) CTec3 cellulase. The resulting hydrolysate, with a glucose concentration of 102.3 g/L, was used to supply glucose as the carbon source for the batch bioreactor cultivation of the bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis E264. With an initial glucose concentration of 40 g/L, a maximum P(3HB) production of 9.17 +/- 1.01 g/L was observed after 53 h of cultivation, corresponding to an overall volumetric productivity of 0.165 g/(L h) and a product yield of 0.218 g/g. The P(3HB) exhibited an average molecular weight of 497 kDa and a polydispersity index of 2.6, with melting and thermal degradation temperatures of 170 and 291 degrees C, respectively, crystallinity index of 78.8%. Importantly, its tensile properties (Young's Modulus of 563 +/- 62 MPa and tensile strength of 27 +/- 2 MPa) were comparable to P(3HB) produced by other bacteria, including commercial products. The findings of this study demonstrate the feasibility of upcycling cotton-based household waste into a value-added sustainable and biodegradable material with properties matching those of commercial thermoplastics.
