Sugarcane by-products within the biodiesel production chain: Vinasse and molasses as feedstock for oleaginous fungi and conversion to ethyl esters

Author(s)

Reis, Cristiano E. Rodrigues ^[1] ; Valle, Giovanna F. ^{[1, 2]} ; Bento, Heitor B. S. ^{[1, 2]} ; Carvalho, Ana K. F. ^{[1, 2]} ; Alves, Thiago M. ^{[1, 2]} ; de Castro, Heizir F. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Engn Sch Lorena, Estr Municipal Campinho S-N, BR-12602810 Lorena, SP - Brazil

^[2] de Castro, Heizir F., Univ Sao Paulo, Engn Sch Lorena, Estr Municipal Campinho S-N, BR-12602810 Lorena, SP, Brazil.Reis, Cristiano E. Rodrigues, Univ Sao Paulo, Engn Sch Lorena, Estr Municipal Campinho S-N, BR-12602810 Lorena, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FUEL; v. 277, OCT 1 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Oleaginous microorganisms pose a number of technical advantages when compared to first generation oil crops, but a common drawback to their utilization is often linked to the high operational costs involved in media preparation, using mostly industrial-grade sugars as carbon sources. Considering the abundance of by-products generated by the sugarcane industry, the combined use of molasses and vinasse is suggested in this work as culture medium for the fungal strain Mucor circinelloides URM 4182. Results demonstrate that a 3:1 vol% medium (vinasse to diluted molasses ratio) with minor supplementation of organic nitrogen can provide values within the range of 5 g L-1 of oil-rich biomass with 25 wt% of lipids. The microbial oil was then analyzed in terms of fatty acid profile, demonstrating a favorable composition for biodiesel production, and was subjected to simultaneous esterification and transesterification assays using ethanol and heterogeneous catalyst (H3PMo/Al2O3) in a pressurized reactor, demonstrating satisfactory conversions ( > 95%). The purified ethyl esters possessed viscosity and density values within the regulating standards and lack of triacylglycerols, suggesting a potential biodiesel production system that could be coupled within sugarcane ethanol facilities. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/10636-8 - From the cell factory to the Biodiesel-Bioethanol integrated biorefinery: a systems approach applied to complex problems in micro and macroscales
• Grantee: Roberto de Campos Giordano
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/12908-8 - Fungal cultivation on sugarcane vinasse and development of a platform for high-value products in the ethanol industry
• Grantee: Cristiano Eduardo Rodrigues Reis
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral