Continuous succinic acid production by immobilized cells of Actinobacillus succinogenes in a fluidized bed reactor: Entrapment in alginate beads

Succinic acid - A run-through of the latest perspectives of production from renewable biomass

Succinic acid (SA) production is continuously rising, as its applications in diverse end-product generation are getting broader and more expansive. SA is an eco-friendly bulk product that acts as a valuable intermediate in different processes and might substitute other petrochemical-based products due to the inner capacity of microbes to biosynthesize it. Moreover, large amounts of SA can be obtained through biotechnological ways starting from renewable resources, imprinting at the same time the concept of a circular economy. In this context, the target of the present review paper is to bring an overview of SA market demands, production, biotechnological approaches, new strategies of production, and last but not least, the possible limitations and the latest perspectives in terms of natural biosynthesis of SA.

Immobilization of Actinobacillus succinogenes on nano- and micro-fiber membranes for efficient and robust production of succinic acid

This work aimed to study the efficiency of nano- and micro- fiber membranes in immobilizing Actinobacillus succinogenes CCTCC M2012036 for succinic acid production. Among the four kinds of electrospun nanofiber membranes of cellulose acetate, chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan-PVA, the cellulose acetate nanofiber membrane-immobilized cells performed the best with a succinic acid concentration and yield to be 27.3 ± 3.5 g/L and 70.9 ± 5.8%. The cell-immobilized viscose microfiber membrane presented good reuse stability, and 17 batches of fermentation without activity loss were realized with the highest succinic acid yield of 83.20%. A microfiber membrane bioreactor was further constructed with the cell-immobilized viscose microfiber membrane to perform fermentation on a larger scale, and the concentration, yield and productivity of succinic acid were 73.20 g/L, 86.50% and 1.49 g/(L⋅h) using a fed-batch strategy, which were 124.30%, 127.60% and 124.2% of those obtained in the traditional fermenter. This study provided an approach for improving the practicality of biological succinic acid production.

Development of a Simple and Robust Kinetic Model for the Production of Succinic Acid from Glucose Depending on Different Operating Conditions

Succinic acid (SA) is one of the main identified biomass-derived chemical building blocks. In this work we approach the study of its production by Actinobacillus succinogenes DSM 22257 from glucose, focusing on the development and application of a simple kinetic model capable of representing the evolution of the process over time for a great diversity of process variables key to the production of this platform bio-based chemical: initial biomass concentration, yeast extract concentration, agitation speed, and carbon dioxide flow rate. All these variables were studied experimentally, determining the values of key fermentation parameters: titer (23.8–39.7 g·L−1), yield (0.59–0.72 gSA·gglu−1), productivity (0.48–0.96 gSA·L−1·h−1), and selectivity (0.61–0.69 gSA·gglu−1). Even with this wide diversity of operational conditions, a non-structured and non-segregated kinetic model was suitable for fitting to experimental data with high accuracy, considering the values of the goodness-of-fit statistical parameters. This model is based on the logistic equation for biomass growth and on potential kinetic equations to describe the evolution of SA and the sum of by-products as production events that are not associated with biomass growth. The application of the kinetic model to diverse operational conditions sheds light on their effect on SA production. It seems that nitrogen stress is a good condition for SA titer and selectivity, there is an optimal inoculum mass for this purpose, and hydrodynamic stress starts at 300 r.p.m. in the experimental set-up employed. Due to its practical importance, and to validate the developed kinetic model, a fed-batch fermentation was also carried out, verifying the goodness of the model proposed via the process simulation (stage or cycle 1) and application to further cycles of the fed-batch operation. The results showed that biomass inactivation started at cycle 3 after a grace period in cycle 2.

Production of the Polysaccharide Pullulan by Aureobasidium pullulans Cell Immobilization

This review examines the immobilization of A. pullulans cells for production of the fungal polysaccharide pullulan. Pullulan is a water-soluble gum that exists structurally as a glucan consisting primarily of maltotriose units, which has a variety of food, non-food and biomedical applications. Cells can be immobilized by carrier-binding or entrapment techniques. The number of studies utilizing carrier-binding as a method to immobilize A. pullulans cells appears to outnumber the investigations using cell entrapment. A variety of solid supports, including polyurethane foam, sponge, diatomaceous earth, ion-exchanger, zeolite and plastic composite, have been employed to immobilize pullulan-producing A. pullulans cells. The most effective solid support that was used to adsorb the fungal cells was polyurethane foam which produced polysaccharide after 18 cycles of use. To entrap pullulan-producing fungal cells, agents such as polyurethane foam, polyvinyl alcohol, calcium alginate, agar, agarose, carrageenan and chitosan were investigated. Polysaccharide production by cells entrapped in polyurethane foam, polyvinyl alcohol or calcium alginate was highest and the immobilized cells could be reutilized for several cycles. It was shown that the pullulan content of the polysaccharide synthesized by cells entrapped in calcium alginate beads was low, which limits the method’s usefulness for pullulan production. Further, many of the entrapped fungal cells synthesized polysaccharide with a low pullulan content. It was concluded that carrier-binding techniques may be more effective than entrapment techniques for A. pullulans cell immobilization, since carrier-binding is less likely to affect the pullulan content of the polysaccharide being synthesized.

Modeling the Succinic Acid Bioprocess: A Review

Succinic acid has attracted much interest as a key platform chemical that can be obtained in high titers from biomass through sustainable fermentation processes, thus boosting the bioeconomy as a critical production strategy for the future. After several years of development of the production of succinic acid, many studies on lab or pilot scale production have been reported. The relevant experimental data reveal underlying physical and chemical dynamic phenomena. To take advantage of this vast, but disperse, kinetic information, a number of mathematical kinetic models of the unstructured non-segregated type have been proposed in the first place. These relatively simple models feature critical aspects of interest for the design, control, optimization and operation of this key bioprocess. This review includes a detailed description of the phenomena involved in the bioprocesses and how they reflect on the most important and recent models based on macroscopic and metabolic chemical kinetics, and in some cases even coupling mass transport.

A Review on the Production of C4 Platform Chemicals from Biochemical Conversion of Sugar Crop Processing Products and By-Products

The development and commercialization of sustainable chemicals from agricultural products and by-products is necessary for a circular economy built on renewable natural resources. Among the largest contributors to the final cost of a biomass conversion product is the cost of the initial biomass feedstock, representing a significant challenge in effective biomass utilization. Another major challenge is in identifying the correct products for development, which must be able to satisfy the need for both low-cost, drop-in fossil fuel replacements and novel, high-value fine chemicals (and/or commodity chemicals). Both challenges can be met by utilizing wastes or by-products from biomass processing, which have very limited starting cost, to yield platform chemicals. Specifically, sugar crop processing (e.g., sugarcane, sugar beet) is a mature industry that produces high volumes of by-products with significant potential for valorization. This review focuses specifically on the production of acetoin (3-hydroxybutanone), 2,3-butanediol, and C4 dicarboxylic (succinic, malic, and fumaric) acids with emphasis on biochemical conversion and targeted upgrading of sugar crop products/by-products. These C4 compounds are easily derived from fermentations and can be converted into many different final products, including food, fragrance, and cosmetic additives, as well as sustainable biofuels and other chemicals. State-of-the-art literature pertaining to optimization strategies for microbial conversion of sugar crop byproducts to C4 chemicals (e.g., bagasse, molasses) is reviewed, along with potential routes for upgrading and valorization. Directions and opportunities for future research and industrial biotechnology development are discussed.

Succinic acid fermentation with immobilized Actinobacillus succinogenes using hydrolysate of carbohydrate-rich microalgal biomass

This work aimed to study the efficiency of polyvinyl-alcohol-immobilized Actinobacillus succinogenes ATCC55618 for succinic acid (SA) production. Batch fermentation (pH 7, 45% CO₂ gas at 0.04 vvm) using glucose (40 g L^-1) resulted in SA titer, 26.7 g L^-1; productivity, 3.33 g L^-1h^-1; yield, 0.621 g g^-1. Fed-batch mode with cyclic extrication of SA from the medium markedly enhanced the yield to 0.699 g g^-1 and concentration to 59.5 g L^-1. Batch fermentation using sugars derived from Chlorella vulgaris ESP-31 without yeast extract gave a SA productivity, concentration, and yield of 1.82 g L^-1h^-1, 36.1 g L^-1, and 0.720 g g^-1, respectively. Furthermore, continuous fermentation (at 6 h HRT) with microalgal sugar improved the productivity and yield to 3.53 g L^-1h^-1 and 0.62 g g^-1, respectively, which is comparable to those obtained by using glucose. This study reports the highest productivity for SA fermentation using microalgae-derived sugars.

Eco-Friendly Biosorbents Based on Microbial Biomass and Natural Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Application for the Removal of Drugs and Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

Pharmaceuticals and dyes are a very important part of the nonbiodegradable or hard biodegradable substances present in wastewater. Microorganisms are already known to be effective biosorbents, but the use of free microbial cells involves difficulties in their separation from effluents and limits their application in wastewater treatment. Thus, this study aimed to develop biosorbents by immobilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces pastorianus and Saccharomyces pastorianus residual biomass on natural polymers (alginate and chitosan) and to evaluate the biosorptive potential for removal of pharmaceuticals and dyes from water. Six types of biosorbents were synthesized and characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy techniques and their biosorptive capacities for three drugs (cephalexin, rifampicin, ethacridine lactate) and two dyes (orange II and indigo carmine) were evaluated. The obtained results show that the removal efficiency depends on the polymer type used for the immobilization. In case of alginate the removal efficiency is between 40.05% and 96.41% for drugs and between 27.83% and 58.29% for dyes, while in the case of chitosan it is between 40.83% and 77.92% for drugs and between 17.17% and 44.77% for dyes. In general, the synthesized biosorbents proved to be promising for the removal of drugs and dyes from aqueous solutions.