Evaluation of Industrial Wastewaters as Low-Cost Resources for Sustainable Enzyme Production by <i>Bacillus</i> Species
The increasing demand for industrial enzymes calls for cost-effective and sustainable production strategies. This study investigates the potential of industrial wastewater as an alternative fermentation medium for enzyme synthesis, aligning with the principles of the circular bioeconomy. Four wastew...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Clean Technologies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/7/2/45 |
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| Summary: | The increasing demand for industrial enzymes calls for cost-effective and sustainable production strategies. This study investigates the potential of industrial wastewater as an alternative fermentation medium for enzyme synthesis, aligning with the principles of the circular bioeconomy. Four wastewater types from Québec, Canada—beverage wastewater (BW), pulp and paper mill activated sludge (PPMS), food industry wastewater (FIW), and starch industry wastewater (SIW)—were evaluated for their potential to support protease, amylase, and lipase production using <i>Bacillus licheniformis</i>, <i>Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</i>, and <i>Bacillus megaterium</i>. Initial screening identified SIW as optimal for amylase production with <i>B. amyloliquefaciens</i>, and PPMS for protease production with <i>B. megaterium</i>. Optimization using the Box–Behnken design was then performed, followed by scale-up experiments in 5 L bioreactors. <i>B. amyloliquefaciens</i> achieved 5.73 ± 0.01 U/mL of amylase at 48 h under 40 g/L total solids, 30 °C, and a 2% inoculum size, while <i>B. megaterium</i> produced the highest protease of 55.41 ± 3.54 U/mL at 24 h. Lipase production remained negligible across all media and strains. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of the potential of wastewater-based enzyme production, reducing reliance on expensive synthetic substrates, mitigating environmental burdens, and contributing to the transition to a circular bioeconomy. |
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| ISSN: | 2571-8797 |