High-efficiency water use and process performance for bioproduction of trans-cinnamic acid

Abstract

Increasing water scarcity, driven by population growth and climate change, necessitates the development of biomanufacturing processes that maximize water-use efficiency. This report illustrates the potential of biocatalyst and supernatant recycling in a decoupled bioprocess integrated with product removal systems for trans-cinnamic production using Pseudomonas putida KT2440 expressing RmXAL. With a biocatalyst concentration of 40 gDCW L− 1 and an L-phenylalanine feed concentration of 35 gL−phe L− 1 combined with product precipitation, the process achieved a titer of 143.00 g L− 1, a production rate of 2.25 g L− 1 h− 1, a yield of 1.50 g tCA g glucose− 1, and a yield on L-phenylalanine of 0.64 g tCA g L-phe− 1. Furthermore, this optimized approach substantially reduced water consumption and wastewater generation by 85% compared to standard production processes, promoting the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG) “Clean water and sanitation” and SDG 12 “Responsible production and consumption” thus enabling an industrial bioproduction platform to achieve better environmental and economic sustainability. © The Author(s) 2025.