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Current perspectives on acidogenic fermentation to produce volatile fatty acids from waste

Ramos-Suarez, Maria ; Zhang, Yue and Outram, Victoria LU orcid (2021) In Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology 20(2). p.439-478
Abstract

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are key platform chemicals used in a multitude of industries including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture. The current route for VFA production is petrochemical based. VFAs can be biologically produced using organic wastes as substrate, therefore directly contributing to a sustainable economy. This process is commonly known as acidogenic fermentation (AF). This review explores the current research on the development of AF processes optimized for VFA production. Three process steps are considered: feedstock pretreatment, fermentation, and primary product recovery with a focus on in situ recovery. Pretreatment is required for recalcitrant feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic substrates.... (More)

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are key platform chemicals used in a multitude of industries including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture. The current route for VFA production is petrochemical based. VFAs can be biologically produced using organic wastes as substrate, therefore directly contributing to a sustainable economy. This process is commonly known as acidogenic fermentation (AF). This review explores the current research on the development of AF processes optimized for VFA production. Three process steps are considered: feedstock pretreatment, fermentation, and primary product recovery with a focus on in situ recovery. Pretreatment is required for recalcitrant feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic substrates. Different pretreatment techniques for AF application have not been studied in depth. The operational parameters of AF (temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time, substrate concentration, etc.) highly influence microbial activity, VFA yields and product distribution. Optimum conditions are ultimately dependent on substrate composition, however, there is indication that certain operational ranges are beneficial for most feedstocks. VFA recovery and purification are necessary for chemical applications. When recovery is performed in situ, it can help relieve product-induced inhibition and keep alkalinity levels stable enabling further waste degradation. Many techniques have been tested, but none are directly compatible with the fermentation conditions tested. Bio-VFAs have the potential to aid in developing a circular economy, but further development is required. Processes need to be developed with the product market in mind, considering both process integration and systematic process optimization.

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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Acidogenic fermentation, Carboxylic acids, Product recovery, Short chain fatty acids, Volatile fatty acids, Waste feedstocks
in
Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology
volume
20
issue
2
pages
40 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85100836009
ISSN
1569-1705
DOI
10.1007/s11157-021-09566-0
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).
id
3dece172-6398-4f26-bba6-0f90581a40a3
date added to LUP
2023-05-04 14:15:04
date last changed
2024-03-22 20:03:56
@article{3dece172-6398-4f26-bba6-0f90581a40a3,
  abstract     = {{<p>Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are key platform chemicals used in a multitude of industries including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture. The current route for VFA production is petrochemical based. VFAs can be biologically produced using organic wastes as substrate, therefore directly contributing to a sustainable economy. This process is commonly known as acidogenic fermentation (AF). This review explores the current research on the development of AF processes optimized for VFA production. Three process steps are considered: feedstock pretreatment, fermentation, and primary product recovery with a focus on in situ recovery. Pretreatment is required for recalcitrant feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic substrates. Different pretreatment techniques for AF application have not been studied in depth. The operational parameters of AF (temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time, substrate concentration, etc.) highly influence microbial activity, VFA yields and product distribution. Optimum conditions are ultimately dependent on substrate composition, however, there is indication that certain operational ranges are beneficial for most feedstocks. VFA recovery and purification are necessary for chemical applications. When recovery is performed in situ, it can help relieve product-induced inhibition and keep alkalinity levels stable enabling further waste degradation. Many techniques have been tested, but none are directly compatible with the fermentation conditions tested. Bio-VFAs have the potential to aid in developing a circular economy, but further development is required. Processes need to be developed with the product market in mind, considering both process integration and systematic process optimization.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ramos-Suarez, Maria and Zhang, Yue and Outram, Victoria}},
  issn         = {{1569-1705}},
  keywords     = {{Acidogenic fermentation; Carboxylic acids; Product recovery; Short chain fatty acids; Volatile fatty acids; Waste feedstocks}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{439--478}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology}},
  title        = {{Current perspectives on acidogenic fermentation to produce volatile fatty acids from waste}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11157-021-09566-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11157-021-09566-0}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}