Continuous succinic acid fermentation by Actinobacillus succinogenes in a packed-bed biofilm reactor

Mariateresa Ferone,Piero Salatino,Francesca Raganati,Giuseppe Olivieri,Antonio Marzocchella,Alessia Ercole

doi:10.1186/s13068-018-1143-7

Mariateresa Ferone, Piero Salatino + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-018-1143-7

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Abstract

BackgroundSuccinic acid is one of the most interesting platform chemicals that can be produced in a biorefinery approach. In this study, continuous succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes fermentation in a packed-bed biofilm reactor (PBBR) was investigated.ResultsThe effects of the operating conditions tested, dilution rate (D), and medium composition (mixture of glucose, xylose, and arabinose—that simulate the composition of a lignocellulosic hydrolysate)—on the PBBR performances were investigated. The maximum succinic acid productivity of 35.0 g L−1 h−1 and the maximum SA concentration were achieved at a D = 1.9 h−1. The effect of HMF and furfural on succinic acid production was also investigated. HMF resulted to reduce succinic acid production by 22.6%, while furfural caused a reduction of 16% in SA production at the same dilution rate.ConclusionSuccinic acid production by A. succinogenes fermentation in a packed-bed reactor (PBBR) was successfully carried out for more than 5 months. The optimal results were obtained at the dilution rate 0.5 h−1: 43.0 g L−1 of succinic acid were produced, glucose conversion was 88%; and the volumetric productivity was 22 g L−1 h−1.

Highlights

Succinic acid is one of the most interesting platform chemicals that can be produced in a biorefinery approach
Biofilm start‐up The packedbed biofilm reactor (PBBR) was inoculated with actively growing cells at t = 0 and operated in batch mode with respect to the liquid phase for 24 h after
After 24 h, the PBBR was switched to continuous mode feeding 50 g L−1 glucose: medium, setting that the dilution rate was set at 0.20 h−1

Summary

Introduction

Succinic acid is one of the most interesting platform chemicals that can be produced in a biorefinery approach. The growing awareness of the environmental impact of petrochemical processes has increased the interest for alternative routes for sustainable productions of commodities. According to this scenario, biorefineries offer an excellent opportunity to replace the oil refinery with the bio-based-derived products [1]. Ferone et al Biotechnol Biofuels (2018) 11:138 about 2.94 $/kg [5] and any efforts should be addressed to reduce the production cost around 1$/kg to propose the bio-SA as a potential alternative to the chemical route, as it is required for the production of commodity products by the chemical industry [6]. The current commercial production of SA is based on the use of pure sugars derived from starch-based raw materials that potentially compete with food resources [7]

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