Abstract
1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) is an important chemical product which can be used to produce polyesters, polyether, and polyurethanes. In the process of conversion of glycerol to 1,3-PD by Clostridium large number of byproducts (butyric, acetic and lactic acid) are generated in the fermentation medium. The aim of this work was to isolate bacteria strains capable of the utilization of these byproducts. Screening of 30 bacterial strains was performed using organic acids as carbon source. Selected isolates were taxonomically characterized and identified as Alcaligenes faecalis and Bacillus licheniformis. The most active strains, Alcaligenes faecalis JP1 and Bacillus licheniformis JP19, were able to utilize organic acids almost totally. Finally, it was find out that by the use of coculture (C. butyricum DSP1 and A. faecalis JP1) increased volumetric productivity of 1,3-PD production (1.07 g/L/h) and the yield equal to 0.53 g/g were obtained in bioreactor fermentation. Moreover, the only by-product present was butyric acid in a concentration below 1 g/L.
Highlights
As the production of biofuels from raw materials continuously increases, optimization of production processes is necessary
The aim was to screen for microorganisms able to decrease the concentrations of organic acids and ethanol without changing the amount of 1,3-PD
Partial removal of butyric acid did not influence the number of microorganisms because the biomass already reached the plateau before inoculation with A. faecalis JP1
Summary
As the production of biofuels from raw materials continuously increases, optimization of production processes is necessary. One way of utilization of glycerol generated in biodiesel production is its microbial conversion to 1,3-PD [1]. During this process different accompanying metabolites, such as organic acids and ethanol, are synthesized from which the main product, 1,3-PD, must be separated [2, 3]. An effective method of 1,3-PD separation is an evaporation process coupled to vacuum distillation. The main disadvantages of that method are high demand for energy, and, the need to remove proteins and salts before this process. Aqueous twophase extraction requires large amounts of methanol and difficulty in separation of the two alcohols occur. The efficiency of BioMed Research International chromatographic matrices is susceptible to deterioration if feeds are not desalinated and deproteinized [4]
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