Integration of sewage sludge digestion with advanced biofuel synthesis

Sewage sludge rich in carbohydrates and other nutrients could be a good feedstock for fuel/chemical production. In this study, fungal and engineered bacterial cultivations were integrated with a modified anaerobic digestion to accumulate fatty acids on sewage sludge. The anaerobic digestion was first adjusted to enable acetogenic bacteria to accumulate acetate. A fungus (Mortierella isabellina) and an engineered bacterium (Escherichia coli created by optimizing acetate utilization and fatty acid biosynthesis as well as overexpressing a regulatory transcription factor fadR) were then cultured on the acetate solution to accumulate fatty acids. The engineered bacterium had higher fatty acid yield and titer than the fungus. Both medium- and long-chain fatty acids (C12:0–C18:0) were produced by the engineered bacterium, while the fungus mainly synthesized long-chain fatty acids (C16:0–C18:3). This study demonstrated a potential path that combines fungus or engineered bacterium with anaerobic digestion to achieve simultaneous organic waste treatment and advanced biofuel production.