Vanessa Saab Liberato

1,3-Propanediol (PDO) can be produced by fermentation of glycerol, but the post-fermentation separation of the PDO from the aqueous medium is hampered by the low volatility and high hydrophilicity of PDO. A new method for separating hydrophilic products from water is proposed, called Solvent-Assisted Switchable Water (SASW). In this method, a hydrophilic water-miscible extraction solvent such as isopropanol is used to extract PDO from the aqueous phase. A CO₂-switchable ionogen (N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylbutane-1,4-diamine, TMBDA), which forms a bicarbonate salt in the presence of CO₂, salts out the isopropanol to prevent it from merging with the aqueous phase. The yield of extracted PDO was up to 73%, but the recovered PDO contained a significant amount of water and amine, showing that the selectivity of the extraction still has room for improvement. This new extraction technique might find utility in the extraction of hydrophilic products from water, if further development of the method leads to better extraction selectivity.

Clostridium sp. is a genus of anaerobic bacteria capable of metabolizing several substrates (monoglycerides, diglycerides, glycerol, carbon monoxide, cellulose, and more), into valuable products. Biofuels, such as ethanol and butanol, and several chemicals, such as acetone, 1,3-propanediol, and butyric acid, can be produced by these organisms through fermentation processes. Among the most well-known species, Clostridium carboxidivorans, C. ragsdalei, and C. ljungdahlii can be highlighted for their ability to use gaseous feedstocks (as syngas), obtained from the gasification or pyrolysis of waste material, to produce ethanol and butanol. C. beijerinckii is an important species for the production of isopropanol and butanol, with the advantage of using hydrolysate lignocellulosic material, which is produced in large amounts by first-generation ethanol industries. High yields of 1,3 propanediol by C. butyricum are reported with the use of another by-product from fuel industries, glycerol. In this context, several Clostridium wild species are good candidates to be used as biocatalysts in biochemical or hybrid processes. In this review, literature data showing the technical viability of these processes are presented, evidencing the opportunity to investigate them in a biorefinery context.

A demanda contínua por biocombustíveis resultou em um aumento significativo na produção brasileira de biodiesel na última década, como consequência, alto...

No cenário biotecnológico, a glicerina vem se mostrando uma matéria-prima importante devido a seu emprego como a principal fonte de carbono em diversos processos fermentativos. Dessa forma, é possível utilizar a glicerina bruta na obtenção de uma variedade de produto de interesse industrial,... O Simpósio Nacional de Bioprocessos (SINAFERM) é um tradicional evento bianual que reúne profissionais com diferentes formações e que atuam nas várias etapas dos bioprocessos. Em 2015 o evento chega a sua 20ª edição.

Com a crescente produção de biodiesel, grandes quantidades de glicerina estão sendo injetadas no mercado, baixando expressivamente seus preços. Em geral, a ...