Separation and Purification Technology, Vol.206, 177-185, 2018
The use of membrane based reactive extraction for the recovery of carboxylic acids from thin stillage
Within the carboxylate platform, carboxylic acids are seen as important building-blocks for the chemical industry, but their recovery is challenging. Membrane based reactive extraction (MBRE) was evaluated for the recovery of these acids from a fermentor in which a mixed culture is converting biorefinery wastewater to carboxylates. Both off-line and in-line experiments were performed. The off-line experiments were promising and extraction efficiencies of 15 (acetic acid) to almost 100% (caproic acid) were reached. The in-line experiments confirmed the selective and near complete extraction of carboxylates with longer chain length. However the overall extraction rates were lower than in off-line tests and the total carboxylate production rate was also decreasing. This was probably caused by limited but repeating contact between organic phase and fermentation broth via the membrane interface.
Keywords:Acidogenic fermentation;Carboxylic acids;In-situ product recovery;Membrane based reactive extraction