Sustainable Production of Bacterial Cellulose in a Rotary Disk Bioreactor : Grape Pomace as a Replacement for the Carbon Source

Abstract

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a highly pure biopolymer with promising applications in the biomedical, food, and textile industries. However, the high production costs and low yields obtained in static conditions limit its scalability and industrial applications. This study addresses the sustainable production of BNC using a rotary disk bioreactor (RDB) and explores the use of grape pomace extract as an alternative carbon source for BNC production. Parameters such as the BNC production and biomass yield were evaluated using Komagataeibacter xylinus ATCC 53524 under different operational conditions (disk surface, rotation speed, and number of disks). The results showed that cellulose production increased using silicone-coated disks at 7–9 rpm (up to 2.72 g L−1), while higher yields (5.23 g L−1) were achieved when using grape pomace extract as the culture medium in comparison with conventional HS medium. FTIR and TGA characterizations confirmed that BNC obtained with grape pomace extract presents the same thermal and chemical characteristics than BNC produced with HS medium. This work provides insight into the feasibility of upscaling BNC production using a bioprocessing strategy, combining production in the RDB system and the use of an agro-industrial waste as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative.