Authors:

Mahagani Lasciers

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Organic acids are highly valuable resources in food products, pharmaceutical industries, and recently, building materials. Thus, developing sustainable, large-scale production methods is essential. Currently, the production of organic acids such as oxalic acid relies on petrochemical industries. However, advancements in lignocellulose biomass transformation, such as corn stover liquefaction, offer a more economical and abundant low-cost resource for organic acid production. Enzymatic liquefaction of corn stover can produce pumpable slurries, which, when fermented with Aspergillus niger, yield high levels of various organic compounds, including oxalic acid. This research focuses on evaluating the main fermentable sugars, glucose, xylose, and arabinose, that make up corn stover slurries, to assess their role in oxalic acid production. Separate fermentations were performed for the individual sugars and the corn stover slurry over six days, with samples collected on days zero and six to monitor changes in the sugar profile and organic acid production. Oxalic acid production was favored at a pH range of 5 to 6, with pH control maintained twice daily until fungal growth ceased. Oxalic acid production for slurry material ranged between 15 and 19 g/L, and the compound was proved to be produced with the individual sugars, glucose, xylose, and arabinose. This confirms that all fermentable sugars within the corn stover slurry are capable of producing oxalic acid, meaning that the biomass can be fully utilized. This not only allows for increased environmental sustainability but also contributes to the scale-up of alternative organic acid production. Keywords: Fermentation; Biomass Slurries; Organic Acid; Aspergillus niger

Source:

Purdue University / 2024

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Co-authors:

Mahagani Lasciers