Aqueous two-phase extraction of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broths using an ethanol/phosphate system

Separation of 2,3-butanediol from the complex fermentation broths is a difficult task and becomes a bottleneck in industrial production. Aqueous two-phase systems composed of hydrophilic solvents and inorganic salts could be used to extract 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broths. Aqueous two-phase extraction of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broths was studied by ethanol and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate system. The influences of phase composition on partition of 2,3-butanediol, removal of cells and biomacromolecules were investigated. The partition coefficient and recovery of 2,3-butanediol reached up to 28.34 and 98.13%, respectively, and the selective coefficient of 2,3-butanediol to glucose was 615.87 when the system was composed of 24% (w/w) ethanol and 25% (w/w) dipotassium hydrogen phosphate. Simultaneously, cells and proteins could be removed from the fermentation broths and the removal ratio reached 99.63 and 85.9%, respectively. This process is convenient and economic, furthermore, the operation is easy to scale-up, that is, this method provides a new possibility for the separation and refining of 2,3-butanediol.     

Aqueous two-phase extraction of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broths by isopropanol/ammonium sulfate system

A novel aqueous two-phase system consisted of 2-propanol/ammonium sulfate was used for the extraction of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broths. The maximum partition coefficient and recovery of 2,3-butanediol reached 9.9 and 93.7%, respectively, and more than 99% of the cells and about 85% of the soluble proteins were removed when 34% (w/w) 2-propanol and 20% (w/w) ammonium sulfate were used. The separated cells could be re-used as inocula for subsequent fermentations. The aqueous two-phase system described in this study may have potential application in the extraction of 2,3-butanediol produced by industrial fermentation processes.     

Selection and optimization of an aqueous two‐phase system for the recovery of 1,3‐propandiol from fermentation broth

In this study a suitable alcohol/salt aqueous two‐phase (ATP) system was selected for the recovery of 1,3‐propandiol (1,3‐PD) from fermentation broth. From the different alcohol/salt systems studied the ethanol and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate ATP system appeared to be favorable. To examine the potential of this ATP system the partition coefficient of 1,3‐PD in synthetic solutions was first optimized with the response surface methodology. The parameters studied were concentrations of ethanol (21.99–38.81% w/w), dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (14.99–31.81% w/w) and 1,3‐PD (6.36–73.64 g/L). The optimum conditions were found to be 35.39% w/w for ethanol, 28.40% w/w for dipotassium hydrogen phosphate and 73.6 g/L for 1,3‐PD. Under these conditions the maximum partition coefficient of 1,3‐PD and the extraction yield were determined as 23.14 and 97.82%, respectively. The optimum extraction conditions were then used to guide the recovery of 1,3‐PD from a real fermentation broth. The partition coefficient and extraction yield of 1,3‐PD reached 20.28–97.20% in this case, respectively. A favorable partition of the organic acids lactate, acetate and butyrate in the bottom phase was also achieved. We have also studied the removal of cells and macromolecules from the broth. Removal ratio of cells and proteins were 96.47 and 93.05%, respectively. Thus, the ethanol/dipotassium hydrogen phosphate ATP system appears to be an interesting alternative or can be used as one useful step in the downstream processing of 1,3‐PD from fermentation broth.     

2，3-丁二醇的发酵及盐析分离工艺

采用克雷伯氏菌（Klebsiella pneumoniae CICC 10011）发酵生产2,3-丁二醇,并对2,3-丁二醇的盐析分离工艺进行了考察。通过实验确定了以葡萄糖为底物微氧批式流加发酵的条件,发酵液中2,3-丁二醇和3-羟基丁酮的质量浓度分别为90．98g/L和12．40g/L,2,3-丁二醇的摩尔转化率为82．7％,生产强度达到2．1g/（L·h）。对发酵液中2,3-丁二醇的盐析分离研究表明,K2HPO4和K3PO4对2,3-丁二醇的盐析效果优于K2CO3。当发酵液浓缩70％后,加入质量分数为45％的K,HPO4,2,3-丁二醇的分配系数达到9．10,回收率为79．37％;上相中2,3-丁二醇的质量浓度达到420g／L;此时3-羟基丁酮的分配系数和回收率分别为11．9和83．48％。     

Purification of (S)-3-cyano-5-methylhexanoic acid from bioconversion broth using an acetone/ammonium sulfate aqueous two-phase system

(S)-3-Cyano-5-methylhexanoic acid ((S)-CMHA) is the key chiral intermediate of pregabalin. In this paper, an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) was developed to extract (S)-CMHA from nitrilase-catalyzed bioconversion broth. Inorganic salts and hydrophilic solvents were screened to form ATPS, among which an acetone/ammonium sulfate ATPS was investigated in detail, including phase diagram, effect of phase composition and stability of (S)-CMHA. The maximum product recovery of 99.15% was obtained by an optimized ATPS system composed of 15% (w/w) ammonium sulfate and 35% (w/w) acetone with the removal of 99% cells and 86.27% proteins. The total (S)-CMHA yield reached 92.11% after back-extraction. The recycling use of ammonium sulfate was investigated, and 93.10% of salt in the salt-rich phase was recovered with the addition of methanol. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the two-step extraction process for separation of (S)-CMHA.     

Salting-out extraction and crystallization of succinic acid from fermentation broths

In this study, salting-out extraction (SOE) and crystallization were combined to recover succinic acid from fermentation broths. Of the different SOE systems investigated, the system consisting of organic solvents and acidic salts appeared to be more favorable. A system using acetone and ammonium sulfate was investigated to determine the effect of phase composition and pH. The highest partition coefficient (8.64) and yield of succinic acid (90.05%) were obtained by a system composed of 30% (w/w) acetone and 20% (w/w) ammonium sulfate at a pH of 3.0. Additionally, 99.03% of cells, 90.82% of soluble proteins, and 94.89% of glucose could be simultaneously removed from the fermentation broths. Interestingly, nearly 40% of the pigment was removed using the single-step salting-out extraction process. The analysis of the effect of pH on salting-out extraction indicates that a pH lower than the pK of succinic acid is beneficial for the recovery of succinic acid in an SOE system. Crystallization was performed for the purification of succinic acid at 4 °C and pH 2.0. By combining salting-out extraction with crystallization, an identical total yield (65%) and a higher purity (97%) of succinic acid were obtained using a synthetic fermentation broth compared with the actual fermentation broth (65% and 91%, respectively).     

Separation of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth by reactive-extraction using acetaldehyde-cyclohexane system

Biochemical 2,3-butanediol is a renewable material with the potential to be used as an alternative fuel. However, in the lack of an effective separation process has limited its industrial application. In this paper, an effective process was achieved to separate 2,3-butanediol by reactive-extraction. Acetaldehyde and cyclohexane were chosen as the reactant and extractant, respectively. Ion-exchange resin HZ732 was used as the catalyst. Reaction equilibrium and a kinetic study on the reaction between 2,3-butanediol and acetaldehyde were investigated to provide basic data for process development. The reaction enthalpy and activation energy of reaction of 2,3-butanediol and acetaldehyde were ?30.05 ± 1.62 KJ/mol and 45.29 ± 2.89 KJ/mol, respectively. Feasible conditions were obtained as follows: operating temperature = 20°C, acetaldehyde: 2,3-butanediol = 0.5:1 (w/w), cyclohexane: fermentation broth = 0.5:1 (w/w), catalyst amount = 100 g/L, stirring rate = 500 rpm and three-stage counter-current extraction method was used. Under these conditions, the total yield rate of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth was over 90% and the mass fraction of 2,3-butanediol in the final product reached 99%.     

Simultaneous solid–liquid separation and primary purification of clavulanic acid from fermentation broth of Streptomyces clavuligerus using salting‐out extraction system

Clavulanic acid (CA) is usually used together with other β‐lactam antibiotics as combination drugs to inhibit bacterial β‐lactamases, which is mainly produced from the fermentation of microorganism such as Streptomyces clavuligerus. Recently, it is still a challenge for downstream processing of low concentration and unstable CA from fermentation broth with high solid content, high viscosity, and small cell size. In this study, an integrated process was developed for simultaneous solid–liquid separation and primary purification of CA from real fermentation broth of S. clavuligerus using salting‐out extraction system (SOES). First, different SOESs were investigated, and a suitable SOES composed of ethanol/phosphate was chosen and further optimized using the pretreated fermentation broth. Then, the optimal system composed of 20% ethanol/15% K₂HPO₄ and 10% KH₂PO₄ w/w was used to direct separation of CA from untreated fermentation broth. The result showed that the partition coefficient (K) and recovery yield (Y) of CA from untreated fermentation broth were 29.13 and 96.8%, respectively. Simultaneously, the removal rates of the cells and proteins were 99.8% and 63.3%, respectively. Compared with the traditional method of membrane filtration or liquid–liquid extraction system, this developed SOES showed the advantages of simple operation, shorter operation time, lower process cost and higher recovery yield of CA. These results demonstrated that the developed SOES could be used as an attractive alternative for the downstream processing of CA from real fermentation broth.     

1,3-丙二醇发酵液后提取技术研究进展

1,3-丙二醇是一种重要的化工原料,以甘油或葡萄糖为原料发酵法制备1,3-丙二醇具有原料可再生、反应条件温和等优点,是近年来国内外的研究热点。由微生物发酵获得的1,3-丙二醇发酵液是含多种强极性的醇及盐类的稀溶液,这使得采用传统的分离方法难以经济、有效地的将1,3-丙二醇从发酵液中纯化出来,后提取过程成为发酵法工业化生产1,3-丙二醇的瓶颈。1,3-丙二醇后提取过程主要包括微生物菌体等高分子物质的去除,盐的去除、回收,有机物的纯化和水的去除。以下对应用于以上分离过程的技术的研究进展进行讨论,提出在该领域应该重视的发展方向。     

Three-liquid-phase extraction of diosgenin and steroidal saponins from fermentation of Dioscorea zingibernsis C. H. Wright

Diosgenin is an important starting material in the steroidal hormone industry. The yield of diosgenin obtained from the fermentation of Dioscorea zingibernsis C. H. Wright (DZW) by Trichoderma harzianum is higher than that typically obtained from acid hydrolysis. In this paper, the extraction of steroids in the culture broth was studied. A novel three-liquid-phase system (TLPS) consisted of petroleum ether, ethanol, ammonium sulphate and water was used to separate diosgenin and steroidal saponins in the culture broth. The partition behaviors of various steroidal saponins, diosgenin and glucose were investigated. From this, an optimized TLPS was obtained, which composed of 30% ethanol (w/w), 17% (NH₄)₂SO₄ (w/w) and 40% (w/w) petroleum ether. In the optimized TLPS, almost all of the diosgenin was extracted into the top phase giving a recovery of 97.24%, whereas the steroidal saponins were mainly extracted into the middle phase, with recoveries of zingibernsis newsaponin, deltonin and diosgenin-diglucoside reaching almost 100%. The recoveries of trillin and diosgenin-triglucoside were 96.03% and 98.82%, respectively. Glucose tended to remain in the bottom phase, giving a recovery of 72.01%. The three-liquid-phase extraction (TLPE) successfully resulted in the simultaneous separation of diosgenin, untransformed steroidal saponins and glucose.     

盐析萃取生物基化学品的研究进展

廉价生物质的生物炼制研究主要集中在菌种和发酵方面,对下游分离研究较少。廉价生物质资源的利用导致发酵液中引入更多杂质,成分较单糖发酵更复杂,致使生物基化学品的下游分离过程成为其工业化生产亟需解决的关键问题。文中介绍了一种基于两相分配差异分离亲水性生物基化学品的盐析萃取技术及其在生物基化学品分离方面的应用,重点阐述了短链醇和盐对双水相形成的影响,并对1,3-丙二醇、2,3-丁二醇、乙偶姻、乳酸等的盐析萃取研究进展进行了总结和展望。盐析萃取技术可有效地回收发酵液中的小分子亲水性产品,同时除去大多数的杂质 (细胞和蛋白质等),在生物基化学品的分离过程中将是一种有前景的分离技术。     

The effects of cell recycling on the production of 1,3-propanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae

The effects of both biomass age and cell recycling on the 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) production by Klebsiella pneumoniae were investigated in a membrane-supported bioreactor using hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane module in two separate experiments. It was determined that older cells have a negative effect on 1,3-PDO production. The concentrations of by-products, such as acetic acid and ethanol, increased in cultures with older cells, whereas the concentrations of succinic acid, lactic acid and 2,3-butanediol decreased. The effect of cell recycling was comparatively studied at a cell recycling ratio of 100 %. The results showed that cell recycling had also negative effects on 1,3-PDO fermentation. It was hypothesized that both cell recycling and biomass age caused metabolic shifts to undesired by-products which then inhibited the 1,3-PDO production. On the other hand, the use of hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane module was found to be very effective in terms of removal of cells from the fermentation broth.     

In situ recovery of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation by liquid–liquid extraction

End-product conversion, low product concentration and large volumes of fermentation broth, the requirements for large bioreactors, in addition to the high cost involved in generating the steam required to distil fermentation products from the broth largely contributed to the decline in fermentative products. These considerations have motivated the study of organic extractants as a means to remove the product during fermentation and minimize downstream recovery. The aim of this study is to assess the practical applicability of liquid–liquid extraction in 2,3-butanediol fermentations. Eighteen organic solvents were screened to determine their biocompatibility, and bioavailability for their effects on Klebsiella pneumoniae growth. Candidate solvents at first were screened in shake flasks for toxicity to K. pneumoniae. Cell density and substrate consumption were used as measures of cell toxicity. The possibility of employing oleyl alcohol as an extraction solvent to enhance end product in 2,3-butanediol fermentation was evaluated. Fermentation was carried out at an initial glucose concentration of 80 g/l. Oleyl alcohol did not inhibit the growth of the fermentative organism. 2,3-Butanediol production increased from 17.9 g/l (in conventional fermentation) to 23.01 g/l (in extractive fermentation). Applying oleyl alcohol as the extraction solvent, about 68% of the total 2,3-butanediol produced was extracted. An erratum to this article can be found at     

IN SITU SEPARATION OF ETHANOL WITH AQUEOUS TWO-PHASE SYSTEM AND ASSESSMENT OF KLa FOR YEAST GROWTH IN BATCH CULTIVATION

In the fermentation process, the separation of product and its purification is the most difficult and exigent task in the ground of biochemical engineering. Another major problem that is encountered in the fermentation is product inhibition, which leads to low conversion and low productivities. Extractive fermentation is a technique that helps in the in situ removal of product and better performance of the fermentation. An aqueous two-phase system was employed for in situ ethanol separation since the technique was biofriendly to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the ethanol produced. The two-phase system was obtained with polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000) and ammonium sulfate in water above critical concentrations, with the desire that the ethanol moves to the top phase while cells rest at the bottom. The overall mass transfer coefficient (K_La) was also estimated for the yeast growth at different rpm. The concentration and yield of ethanol were determined for conventional fermentation to be around 81.3% and for extractive fermentation around 87.5% at the end of the fermentation. Based on observation of both processes, extractive fermentation was found to be the best.     

A novel Method for the selective recovery and purification of γ‐polyglutamic acid from Bacillus licheniformis fermentation broth

Microbially produced gamma‐polyglutamic acid (γ‐PGA) is a commercially important biopolymer with many applications in biopharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and waste‐water treatment industries. Owing to its increasing demand in various industries, production of γ‐PGA is well documented in the literature, however very few methods have been reported for its recovery. In this paper, we report a novel method for the selective recovery and purification of γ‐PGA from cell‐free fermentation broth of Bacillus licheniformis. The cell‐free fermentation broth was treated with divalent copper ions, resulting in the precipitation of γ‐PGA, which was collected as a pellet by centrifugation. The pellet was resolubilized and dialyzed against de‐ionized water to obtain the purified γ‐PGA biopolymer. The efficiency and selectivity of γ‐PGA recovery was compared with ethanol precipitation method. We found that 85% of the original γ‐PGA content in the broth was recovered by copper sulfate‐induced precipitation, compared to 82% recovery by ethanol precipitation method. Since ethanol is a commonly used solvent for protein precipitation, the purity of γ‐PGA precipitate was analyzed by measuring proteins that co‐precipitated with γ‐PGA. Of the total proteins present in the broth, 48% proteins were found to be co‐precipitated with γ‐PGA by ethanol precipitation, whereas in copper sulfate‐induced precipitation, only 3% of proteins were detected in the final purified γ‐PGA, suggesting that copper sulfate‐induced precipitation offers better selectivity than ethanol precipitation method. Total metal content analysis of the purified γ‐PGA revealed the undetectable amount of copper ions, whereas other metal ions detected were in low concentration range. The purified γ‐PGA was characterized using infrared spectroscopy. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

A novel and environment-friendly bioprocess of 1,3-propanediol fermentation integrated with aqueous two-phase extraction by ethanol/sodium carbonate system

An integrated fermentation–separation process for the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) was investigated. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) not only recovered 97.9% of 1,3-PD, but simultaneously also removed 99.1% cells, 81.9% proteins, 75.5% organic acids, and 78.7% water. Furthermore, after extraction the bottom phase of ATPS was used to adjust the pH of the culture during fermentation, leading to 16% and 126% increases in the concentrations of 1,3-PD and lactic acid, and dramatic decreases in the concentration of acetic acid and formic acid. The total mass conversion yield of three main products (1,3-PD, 2,3-butanediol, and lactic acid) from glycerol reached 81.6%. The salt-enriched phase could also be used to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂), resulting in 94% recovery for carbonate. Finally, process simulation using the program PRO/II showed the use of ATPS reduced 75.1% of the energy expenditure and 89.0% of CO₂ emissions.     

By-product inhibition effects on ethanolic fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Inhibition by secondary fermentation products may limit the ultimate productivity of new glucose to ethanol fermentation processes. New processes are under development whereby ethanol is selectively removed from the fermenting broth to eliminate ethanol inhibition effects. These processes can concentrate minor secondary products to the point where they become toxic to the yeast. Vacuum fermentation selectively concentrates nonvolatile products in the fermentation broth. Membrane fermentation systems may concentrate large molecules which are sterically blocked from membrane transport. Extractive fermentation systems, employing nonpolar solvents, may concentrate small organic acids. By-product production rates and inhibition levels in continuous fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been determined for acetaldehyde, glycerol, formic, lactic, and acetic acids, 1-propanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 2,3-butanediol to assess the potential effects of these by-products on new fermentation processes. Mechanisms are proposed for the various inhibition effects observed.     

A multifunctional fermentative alcohol dehydrogenase from the strict aerobe Alcaligenes eutrophus: purification and properties

A NAD (P)-linked alcohol dehydrogenase was isolated from the soluble extract of the strictly respiratory bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus N9A. Derepression of the formation of this enzyme occurs only in cells incubated under conditions of restricted oxygen supply for prolonged times. The purification procedure included precipitation by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and ammonium sulfate and subsequent chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel, Cibacron blue F3G-A Sepharose and thiol-Sepharose. The procedure resulted in a 120-fold purification of a multifunctional alcohol dehydrogenase exhibiting dehydrogenase activities for 2,3-butanediol, ethanol and acetaldehyde and reductase activities for diacetyl, acetoin and acetaldehyde. During purification the ratio between 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase and ethanol dehydrogenase activity remained nearly constant. Recovering about 20% of the initial 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase activity, the specific activity of the final preparation was 70.0 U X mg protein-1 (2,3-butanediol oxidation) and 2.8 U X mg protein-1 (ethanol oxidation). The alcohol dehydrogenase is a tetramer of a relative molecular mass of 156000 consisting of four equal subunits. The determination of the Km values for different substrates and coenzymes as well as the determination of the pH optima for the reactions catalyzed resulted in values which were in good agreement with the fermentative function of this enzyme. The alcohol dehydrogenase catalyzed the NAD (P)-dependent dismutation of acetaldehyde to acetate and ethanol. This reaction was studied in detail, and its possible involvement in acetate formation is discussed. Among various compounds tested for affecting enzyme activity only NAD, NADP, AMP, ADP, acetate and 2-mercaptoethanol exhibited significant effects.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of alkali/peracetic acid-pretreated sugarcane bagasse for ethanol and 2,3-butanediol production

The enzymatic digestibility of alkali/peracetic acid (PAA)-pretreated bagasse was systematically investigated. The effects of initial solid consistency, cellulase loading and addition of supplemental β-glucosidase on the enzymatic conversion of glycan were studied. It was found the alkali-PAA pulp showed excellent enzymatic digestibility. The enzymatic glycan conversion could reach about 80% after 24 h incubation when enzyme loading was 10 FPU/g solid. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) results indicated that the pulp could be well converted to ethanol. Compared with dilute acid pretreated bagasse (DAPB), alkali-PAA pulp could obtain much higher ethanol and xylose concentrations. The fermentation broth still showed some cellulase activity so that the fed pulp could be further converted to sugars and ethanol. After the second batch SSF, the fermentation broth of alkali-PAA pulp still kept about 50% of initial cellulase activity. However, only 21% of initial cellulase activity was kept in the fermentation broth of DAPB. The xylose syrup obtained in SSF of alkali-PAA pulp could be well converted to 2,3-butanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae CGMCC 1.9131.     

Ethanol production from starch in a pervaporation membrane bioreactor using Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum

To attain both high productivity and efficient recovery of ethanol from broth, a membrane bioreactor consisting of a jar fermentor and a pervaporation system was applied to the direct production of ethanol from uncooked starch with a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum. From four types of ethanol-selective membranes tested, microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane, the pores of which are impregnated with silicone rubber, was chosen for its large flux, high ethanol selectivity, and high stability. During fed-batch fermentation with pervaporation in the membrane bioreactor, ethanol was continuously extracted and concentrated in two traps with concentrations at 5.6%-6.2% (w/w) in trap 1 (20 degrees C) and 27%-32% (w/w) in trap 2 (liquid N(2)), while the ethanol concentration in the broth was maintained at 0.85-0.9% (w/w). Due to the low ethanol concentration in the broth, and the immobilization of bacterial cells by the membrane, the number of viable cells, and, eventually, the ethanol productivity, increased in the membrane bioreactor.