The invention refers to a system for the selective transfer of volatile fatty acids (VFA) from an anaerobic fermenter into a polyhydroxyalkanoates production system based on microbial mixed cultures (MMC). This system is able to produce a stable production of PHA containing bacteria.
| Patent title | Process for the transfer of volatile fatty acids through an organic-based liquid membrane |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Bioeconomy, Agriculture and Environment |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA |
| Inventors | Paola Galletti, Emilio Tagliavini, Cristian Torri, Chiara Samorì |
| Protection | Italy |
| Licensing status | Available for development agreements, option, license and other exploitation agreements |
| Keywords | Volatile Fatty Acids, Carboxylic Acids, Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Biopolymers, Agro-wastes |
| Filed on | 24 September 2018 |
To date, many systems for extracting VFA from aqueous solutions (e.g. anionic exchange resins) are known. Obtaining these VFAs in a usable form is more difficult and normally uses a lot of thermal energy or additional chemical reagents (e.g. NaOH).
The pertraction system involves extracting the VFA with a mixture of biodiesel or vegetable oil containing additives and subsequently releasing them into a slightly basic aqueous solution. This aqueous solution is used to obtain PHA within a mixed microbial culture system (MMC) which regenerates at the same time. The system is therefore a closed system, which takes VFA from an anaerobic system and produces a biomass enriched in PHA.
The system does not use stoichiometric reagents and has a low energy consumption linked only to the movement of the liquid membrane. If associated with a simple pH control, the use of a VFA pertraction system allows to obtain a standard solution of VFA from a variable fermentable material in terms of composition. This standard solution represents the ideal substrate for the production of PHA.