Fifty-five bacterial strains isolated from soil were screened for efficient poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) biosynthesis from xylose. Three strains were also evaluated for the utilization of bagasse hydrolysate after different detoxification steps. The results showed that activated charcoal treatment is pivotal to the production of a hydrolysate easy to assimilate. Burkholderia cepacia IPT 048 and B. sacchari IPT 101 were selected for bioreactor studies, in which higher polymer contents and yields from the carbon source were observed with bagasse hydrolysate, compared with the use of analytical grade carbon sources. Polymer contents and yields, respectively, reached 62% and 0.39 g g⁻¹ with strain IPT 101 and 53% and 0.29 g g⁻¹ with strain IPT 048. A higher polymer content and yield from the carbon source was observed under P limitation, compared with N limitation, for strain IPT 101. IPT 048 showed similar performances in the presence of either growth-limiting nutrient. In high-cell-density cultures using xylose plus glucose under P limitation, both strains reached about 60 g l⁻¹ dry biomass, containing 60% P3HB. Polymer productivity and yield from this carbon source reached 0.47 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 0.22 g g⁻¹, respectively.

Burkholderia sp. F24, originally isolated from soil, was capable of growth on xylose and removed organic inhibitors present in a hemicellulosic hydrolysate and simultaneously produced poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB). Using non-detoxified hydrolysate, Burkholderia sp. F24 reached a cell dry weight (CDW) of 6.8 g L⁻¹, containing 48 % of P3HB and exhibited a volumetric productivity (P_P3HB) of 0.10 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹. Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate copolymers (P3HB-co-3HV) were produced using xylose and levulinic acid (LA) as carbon sources. In shake flask cultures, the 3HV content in the copolymer increased from 9 to 43 mol% by adding LA from 1.0 to 5.0 g L⁻¹. In high cell density cultivation using concentrated hemicellulosic hydrolysate F24 reached 25.04 g L⁻¹ of CDW containing 49 % of P3HB and P_P3HB of 0.28 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹. Based on these findings, second-generation ethanol and bioplastics from sugarcane bagasse is proposed.