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Valorisation of protein waste: An enzymatic approach to make commodity chemicals

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Abstract

Protein-rich waste is an abundantly available resource that is currently used mainly as animal feed and fertilizers. Valorisation of protein waste to higher value products, particularly commodity chemicals such as precursors for polymers, has attracted significant research efforts. Enzyme-based approaches, being environmentallyfriendly compared to their chemical counterparts, promise sustainable processes for conversion of protein waste to valuable chemicals. This review provides a general overview on valorisation of protein waste and then further summarises the use of enzymes in different stages of the valorisation process—protein extraction and hydrolysis, separation of individual amino acids and their ultimate conversion into chemicals. Case studies of enzymatic conversion are presented for different amino acids including glutamic acid, lysine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, arginine and aspartic acid. The review compares the different enzyme reactors and operation modes for amino acid conversion. The emerging opportunities and challenges in the field are discussed: engineering powerful enzymes and integrating innovative processes for industrial application at a low cost.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Madura B. A. Kumar, Wei Shen & Lizhong He

  2. Manufacturing Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Bayview Avenue, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia

    Yuan Gao

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  1. Madura B. A. Kumar
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Dedicated to the 120th Anniversary of Tianjin University

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Kumar, M.B.A., Gao, Y., Shen, W. et al. Valorisation of protein waste: An enzymatic approach to make commodity chemicals. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 9, 295–307 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1532-4

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