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Multiple crystallization as a potential strategy for efficient recovery of succinic acid following fermentation with immobilized cells

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Abstract

This study aimed to enhance the crystallizability of bio-based succinic acid for its efficient recovery while maintaining the end product at the highest purity. Immobilization of Actinobacillus succinogenes was initially evaluated based on three different carriers: volcanic glass, clay pebbles, and silica particles. The adsorption capacity of metabolites with a low concentration (10 g/L) and a high concentration (40 g/L) was investigated. It was demonstrated that clay pebbles adsorbed the least succinic acid (< 11 mg/g clay pebbles). The repeated batch-fermentation trials with immobilized cells highlighted that succinic acid with an average concentration of up to 36.3 g/L with a metabolite-production ratio of 3:1 (succinic acid to by-products) could be attained within 130 h. Subsequently, the purification of succinic acid through crystallization was assessed in terms of pH, temperature, crystallization time, initial succinic acid concentration and multiple recrystallization processes. Increasing the crystallization time from 6 h to 9 h afforded an improvement of 17% in the recovery of succinic acid crystals. Moreover, a fourfold concentration coefficient of the broth yielded the highest purity percentage (99.9%). The crystallization in three consecutive stages at 9 h (with a fourfold concentration coefficient) successfully improved the total recovery percentage of succinic acid from 55.0 to 84.8%.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work provided by Centre for Research and Instrumentation Management (CRIM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) through the grant provided under DIP-2018-024 on project entitled “Integrative Approach of Biorefinery and Energy Generation for High Purity of Succinic Acid and Hydrogen Production”. Also, the author wish to thank UKM-Yayasan Sime Darby Chair on Sustainable Development (PKT 6/2012) for providing postgraduate fellowship scheme for the extension of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Abdullah Amru Indera Luthfi, Jian Ping Tan, Nurul Adela Bukhari, Siti Syazwani Mohd Shah, Safa Senan Mahmod & Jamaliah Md Jahim

  2. Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Nur Fatin Ajeera Mohd Isa & Jamaliah Md Jahim

  3. Energy and Environment Unit, Engineering & Processing Research Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Nurul Adela Bukhari

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  1. Abdullah Amru Indera Luthfi
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Luthfi, A.A.I., Tan, J.P., Isa, N.F.A.M. et al. Multiple crystallization as a potential strategy for efficient recovery of succinic acid following fermentation with immobilized cells. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 43, 1153–1169 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-020-02311-x

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