Enhanced Production of Bacterial Cellulose from Miscanthus as Sustainable Feedstock through Statistical Optimization of Culture Conditions

Biorefineries are attracting attention as an alternative to the petroleum industry to reduce carbon emissions and achieve sustainable development. In particular, because forests play an important role in potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, alternatives to cellulose produced by plants are required. Bacterial cellulose (BC) can prevent deforestation and has a high potential for use as a biomaterial in various industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. This study aimed to improve BC production from lignocellulose, a sustainable feedstock, and to optimize the culture conditions for Gluconacetobacter xylinus using Miscanthus hydrolysates as a medium. The productivity of BC was improved using statistical optimization of the major culture parameters which were as follows: temperature, 29 °C; initial pH, 5.1; and sodium alginate concentration, 0.09% ( w / v ). The predicted and actual values of BC production in the optimal conditions were 14.07 g/L and 14.88 g/L, respectively, confirming that our prediction model was statistically significant. Additionally, BC production using Miscanthus hydrolysates was 1.12-fold higher than in the control group (commercial glucose). Our result indicate that lignocellulose can be used in the BC production processes in the near future.