Strategies of separation and purification of the lactic acid produced by fermentation

• Grant number: 12/17501-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Maria Regina Wolf Maciel
• Grantee: Andrea Komesu
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/57873-8 - An integrated process for total bioethanol production and zero CO2 emission, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

The development of industrial biotechnology processes that use renewable natural resources is a necessity that is present nowadays, given concerns about the supply of petroleum and the tendency of economic and environmental sustainability. A great interest in the fermentation process for producing carboxylic acids from a renewable resource has been attracted, with the lactic acid production of the most important between organic acids. A wide variety of applications and the development of new uses and products, as in the production of biodegradable polymers (poly-lactic acid), green solvents and oxygenated chemicals, have caused the lactic acid production grew up considerably in recent decades and stimulated the search for technologies that would make the process more economically viable. In the case of lactic acid, the development of an efficient method of separation and purification of the acid from sugar fermentation broth is very important, because the separation and purification process is 50% of the production costs. Therefore, this work intends to study three strategies for separation and concentration of lactic acid produced by fermentation, using a hybrid evaporative system, a reactive distillation system and sequentially by coupling the two technologies. Experimental design will be applied to determine the best operating conditions of each process and finally will be defined the best conditions and operational sequences for concentration, separation and purification of lactic acid. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

KOMESU, ANDREA; MARTINS MARTINEZ, PATRICIA FAZZIO; LUNELLI, BETANIA HOSS; OLIVEIRA, JOHNATT; WOLF MACIEL, MARIA REGINA; MACIEL FILHO, RUBENS. Study of Lactic Acid Thermal Behavior Using Thermoanalytical Techniques. JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, 2017. (12/17501-0, 15/12783-5)

KOMESU, ANDREA; MARTINS MARTINEZ, PATRICIA FAZZIO; LUNELLI, BETANIA HOSS; OLIVEIRA, JOHNATT; WOLF MACIEL, MARIA REGINA; MACIEL FILHO, RUBENS. Study of Lactic Acid Thermal Behavior Using Thermoanalytical Techniques. JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, v. 2017, p. 7-pg., 2017-01-01. (12/17501-0, 15/12783-5)

KOMESU, ANDREA; MARTINS MARTINEZ, PATRICIA FAZZIO; LUNELLI, BETANIA HOSS; MACIEL FILHO, RUBENS; WOLF MACIEL, MARIA REGINA. Lactic acid purification by reactive distillation system using design of experiments. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND PROCESSING, v. 95, p. 26-30, SEP 2015. (12/17501-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

KOMESU, Andrea. Separation and purification strategies for lactic acid produced by fermentation. 2015. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Química Campinas, SP.