Lactic acid production from lignocellulosic hydrolysate using cell recycling fermentation of Bacillus coagulans

• Grant number: 16/14830-3
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Rubens Maciel Filho
• Grantee: Regiane Alves de Oliveira
• Supervisor abroad: Joachim Venus
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas, SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/26290-5 - Optimization of lactic acid production from sugar cane, BP.DD

Abstract

Lactic acid is a compound that may be produced trough sugars fermentation and it is used in food, pharmaceutical, medical and chemical industries. It has emerged as a potential chemical compound to the synthesis of renewable and biodegradable plastics, such as polylactic acid, including its uses in the medical field, as well as possible precursor (building block) of other high cost molecules for the chemical industry. However, lactic acid use on industrial scale is still limited due to the relatively high cost of production, when compared to petrochemical products. In order to produce economically feasible and competitive lactic acid by fermentation it is necessary to keep low costs, which is linked to the process performance as well as raw material prices. Therefore, carbon sources such as lignocellulosic materials can be quite promising, since these materials prevent competition with food supply and are directly related to the increased interest on reuse of waste sources, which is an important issue regarding to environment and legislation concern. Moreover, lignocellulosic materials are relatively cheap, abundant and renewable. It has motivated the industry to consider these residues as a carbon source for production of various materials (second generation products). In this sense, the objective of this research work is to optimize the 2G-lactic acid production by fermentation of hydrolyzed lignocellulosic material (Sugar Beet Pulp as a model material), using the microorganism Bacillus coagulans. This investigation will provide the background for the application of other feedstock as sugarcane bagasse. (AU)