Bio-waste cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) stalks were converted into succinic acid by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z. After 54 h SSF at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0, the production of succinic acid was 63 g/L, with 1.17 g/L/h productivity and 64% conversion yield. After SSF, a simple method for the decolorization and deproteinization of crude SSF broth was developed through adsorption tests of polystyrene (PSt) microspheres. Under optimized conditions (5% PSt loading (w/v), pH 4.0, 60 degrees C and adsorption time of 40 min), the ratios of decolorization, deproteinization and succinic acid loss ratios were 96.6, 84.5 and 4.1%, respectively. The method developed will provide a potential approach for large-scale production of succinic acid from the biomass waste. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.