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Influence of temperature on the bioconversion of palm oil mill effluent into volatile fatty acids as precursor to the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates
Author(s) -
Lee Wee Shen,
Chua Adeline Seak May,
Yeoh Hak Koon,
Ngoh Gek Cheng
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.4197
Subject(s) - polyhydroxyalkanoates , acidogenesis , pome , mesophile , bioconversion , fermentation , pulp and paper industry , chemistry , food science , effluent , substrate (aquarium) , waste management , anaerobic digestion , biology , bacteria , organic chemistry , methane , ecology , genetics , engineering
BACKGROUND The focus of wastewater management has evolved from treatment technology into resource recovery, which enables simultaneous waste minimization and value‐added product generation. This study utilized palm oil mill effluent ( POME ) for volatile fatty acids ( VFA ) production by acidogenic fermentation at mesophilic (30°C and 40°C) and thermophilic (55°C) temperatures. The viability of using the VFA produced to generate biodegradable plastics polyhydroxyalkanoates ( PHA ) was also determined.RESULTS The VFA production at mesophilic temperature outperformed thermophilic temperature considerably, with a degree of acidification of 48% at both 30°C and 40°C but only 7% at 55°C. These results were in agreement with the substrate consumption profiles whereby the percentage of substrate consumption at 55°C was six times lower than those at 30°C and 40°C. The VFA produced from POME could be used for PHA production, achieving 17 wt% PHA of sludge dry weight.CONCLUSION Mesophilic acidogenic fermentation of POME is preferable due to its better VFA production. Since palm oil mills are located in tropical countries, the fermentation can be conducted under ambient conditions (25–32°C) and without temperature control. The potential of VFA ‐rich fermented POME for PHA production is recognized, but optimization of the PHA production conditions is required for higher PHA content. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry