Separation of Acetoin from Fermentation Broth Using Ethanol-dipotassium Hydrogen Phosphate Aqueous Two-phase System
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Abstract:
The downstream separation process during acetoin production by microbial fermentation has long required investigation. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a highly efficient and mild separation technology, used extensively in the separation of organic substances. The application of ATPS in the separation of acetoin from fermentation broths was investigated, the effects of the types and compositions of ATPS on the extraction of acetoin were explored, and the ethanol/dipotassium hydrogen phosphate system was determined as the optimal ATPS. The highest partition coefficient (16.81) and recovery (98.2%) of acetoin were obtained, when the mass concentrations of dipotassium hydrogen phosphate and ethanol were 25% (m/m) and 26% (m/m), respectively. A pilot experiment indicated that the ATPS showed good stability, and changes in the scale of the system did not affect the partition coefficient and recovery for acetoin. This shows that the ethanol/dipotassium hydrogen phosphate ATPS can be applied to large-scale industrial production. Finally, acetoin dimers were produced using vacuum distillation and crystallization, further demonstrating the potential application of this ATPS process for acetoin separation from fermentation broth.
