Biochemical production of succinic acid from biorefinery glycerol: De-risking, scale-up, and sustainability

该项目致力于通过发酵生物柴油生产的主要副产品粗甘油来生物生产琥珀酸，这是一种最高附加值的化学品。目前，琥珀酸主要是从石化产品或通过发酵葡萄糖/糖来生产的。粗甘油的生物转化不仅将验证这一基本上是生物炼油废物的完全可再生的副流，从而显著改善生物炼油经济，而且还可以提供一条减少碳足迹和有利经济潜力的可持续生产路线。因此，该项目的目的是全面评估从粗甘油到最终丁二酸产品路线的可行性。将结合各种规模的实验方法，从试验台到中试规模，使用计算工具，包括经济模型和过程模拟器，以及市场分析，以便：(I)证明下游工艺的可行性，(Ii)对照化学品市场标准对最终丁二酸产品进行基准测试，(Iii)成功地将发酵过程的规模扩大到750升生物反应器，(Iv)确定并吸引商业最终用户。这些目标应是降低拟议生物工艺风险的重要一步，以吸引工业投资，从而更接近于工业吸收和应用。

This project addresses the bioproduction of succinic acid, a top-added value chemical, through the fermentation of crude glycerol, which is the main byproduct of biodiesel production. Currently, succinic acid is predominantly manufactured from petrochemicals or by the fermentation of glucose/sugars. The bioconversion of crude glycerol will not only valourise this fully renewable side-stream which is essentially a biorefinery waste, hence significantly improving the biorefinery economy, but can also provide a sustainable production route with reduced carbon footprint and a favourable economic potential. Hence, the aim of this project is to holistically assess the feasibility of the route from the crude glycerol to the final succinic acid product. A combination of experimental methodologies at a range of scales, from the bench- to the pilot-scale, computational tools, including economic models and process simulators, and market analysis will be employed in order to: (i) prove the feasibility of the downstream process, (ii) benchmark the final succinic acid product against the chemical market standards, (iii) successfully optimise the scale up of the fermentation process to 750 litre bioreactors (iv) identify and engage commercial end users. These objectives should constitute a significant step in reducing the risk of the proposed bioprocess in order to attract industrial investments, hence moving closer towards its industrial uptake and application.