Lactic acid production from renewable feedstock : fractionation, hydrolysis, and fermentation

• In this paper, an integrated fractionation with a switchable ionic liquid (SIL), pulp hydrolysis, and lactic acid fermentation is carried out. For this, SO2-swithced SIL is used for fractionation of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) bagasse and giant cane (Arundo donax, AD). SIL is able to extract ≈2/3 of lignin when relatively large wood chips (≈4 mm) are used without any mechanical agitation and just 1 h of treatment time for AD. Furthermore, SIL reuse is successfully demonstrated for four runs. Subsequently, the produced pulps are hydrolyzed within 15 min in a microwave reactor, producing a glucose rich hydrolysates. Finally, these hydrolysates are used as a carbohydrate source for Lactobacillus delbrueckii fermentation, which selectively transform all glucose present into optically pure D-lactic acid. Hence, the whole chain for lactic acid production from biomass is successfully demonstrated.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Kemiteknik -- Kemiska processer (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Chemical Engineering -- Chemical Process Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

anaerobic fermentation

hydrothermal hydrolysis

ionic liquids

lactic acid

lignocellulosic biomass

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)