Novel approach to high yielding value added products utilizing crude glycerol a major byproduct of the rapidly expanding biodiesel industry

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The use of renewable fuels like biodiesel are on the rise – in fact in Canada, regulations require that at least 5% of gasoline and 2% of diesel fuel be made of “renewable” fuel. This will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 47.4 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent over 25 years, which is a significant amount. Biodiesel production includes an interesting – and useful – byproduct: glycerol. This sugar alcohol is currently used in its crude state as an additive in animal feed. Refining it to “tech grade” is cost prohibitive due to falling prices. But what if glycerol could be converted into value-added products like plastics or platform chemicals? This would replace some fossil fuel-based products, reduce the impact of the production process on the environment, and provide the biodiesel industry with an additional revenue stream. However, traditional chemical catalyst processes are expensive, have low conversion rates, and significantly impact the environment. There has been considerable research into using microorganisms as a bioconversion method, but yields have not been high enough due to impurities present in the crude glycerol stream to make it economically feasible. The goal is to develop a simple purification method to levels that do not inhibit the subsequent bioconversion. Then, using an appropriate microorganism, we will produce two value-added products from glycerol: poly 3-hydroxyalkanates (PHA), an ingredient in bioplastics; and succinic acid (SA), a platform chemical which serves as a starting point for a host of other chemicals. These products have been chosen because of their identified theoretical maximum yield and because of their growing demand on the marketplace over the next several years. This study has three objectives: (1) examine three different crude glycerol industrial streams to determine the best purification method to a level that will allow the microbes to grow; (2) successfully produce both PHA and SA from the resulting glycerol at high yields; and (3) study downstream processes to produce these chemicals in pure form, and integrate these processes into existing biodiesel plants. The successful completion of this research will help the biodiesel industry find new uses for its byproducts (which will increase revenues), increase production efficiency of these products, and indirectly reduce the impact of biodiesel production on the environment. Additionally, the project will produce HQP (MSc and PhD) for Canada in an interdisciplinary field.