Australian scientists have been working on developing novel compounds from plants that could replace petrochemicals to produce plastics, paints, and cosmetics.
Scientists working within the joint CSIRO/Grains Research and Development Corporation Crop Biofactories Initiative (CBI) have achieved a major advance by accumulating 30 per cent of an unusual fatty acid (UFA) in its model plant, Arabidopsis.
CSIRO is developing novel compounds from plants
UFAs are usually sourced from petrochemicals and used to produce plastics, paints and cosmetics.
CSIRO has been working for some years on producing novel compounds for use in industrial processes from genetically modified plants.
The CBI is a 12-year project which aims to add value to the Australian agricultural and chemical industries by developing technologies to produce novel industrial compounds from genetically modified oilseed crops.
The project focuses on three key areas: Industrial Oils, Complex Monomers and Protein Biopolymers.
The successful completion of the first stage of the CBI was announced by the CSIRO team on April 28, 2008 during the Fifth Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing (WCIBB)
The success of the first real accumulation of UFA from an oil plant, and the announcement of Australia’s first biofactory plant crop – safflower -- were described, and researchers were able to showcase their innovations in the convergence of biotechnology, chemistry and agriculture.
Also announced at WCIBB was the discovery of a new class of fatty acids – alpha-hydroxy polyacetylenic fatty acids – that could be used as sensors for detecting changes in temperature and mechanical stress loads.
Oils from plants could replace petrochemicals
CSIRO Entomology business manager, Cameron Begley, said researchers believed the discovery opened up an entirely new class of chemistry.
“Some of these alpha-hydroxy polyacetylenic fatty acids act as indicators for a range of different conditions, such as mechanical stress or heat, and display self-assembling properties. Others display anti-microbial properties,” he said.
Australian scientists working within the CBI have also been developing applications for alpha-hydroxy unsaturated fatty acids (AHUs).
“Alpha-hydroxy fatty acids (AHA’s) are well known to industry, but we have found some interesting applications for AHUs.” Dr Begley said.
“We have introduced them to a range of bio-based condensation polymer systems that have increased film flexibility. Using these AHUs we have also observed strong adhesion between polyolefins and a range of substrates.”
CBI researchers have also identified novel uses for hydroxy fatty acids and how these affect polymer properties.
“Using crops as biofactories has many advantages, beyond the replacement of dwindling petrochemical resources,” said the leader of the CBI crop development team, CSIRO’s Head of Plant Industry Division, Dr Allan Green.
“Global challenges such as population growth, climate change and the switch from non-renewable resources are opening up many more opportunities for bio-based products.”
Dr Green said that the production of biofactory plants could be matched to demand and would provide farmers with new, high-value crops bred to suit their growing conditions.
“The technology is low greenhouse gas generating, sustainable and can reinvigorate agribusiness,” he said.
Dr Green said safflower is an ideal plant for industrial production for Australia.
“It is hardy and easy to grow, widely adapted to Australian production regions and easily isolated from food production systems.
“We are confident we have the right genes, an understanding of the biosynthesis pathways and the right breeding skills to produce an oilseed plant with commercially viable UFA levels in the near future.”
A safflower crop near Narrandera, NSW
