Propionate Production by Bioelectrochemically-Assisted Lactate Fermentation and Simultaneous CO₂ Recycling.

ABSTRACT: Production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), fundamental building blocks for the chemical industry, depends on fossil fuels but organic waste is an emerging alternative substrate. Lactate produced from sugar-containing waste streams can be further processed to VFAs. In this study, electrofermentation (EF) in a two-chamber cell is proposed to enhance propionate production via lactate fermentation. At an initial pH of 5, an applied potential of -1 V vs. Ag/AgCl favored propionate production over butyrate from 20 mM lactate (with respect to non-electrochemical control incubations), due to the pH buffering effect of the cathode electrode, with production rates up to 5.9 mM d^-1 (0.44 g L^-1 d^-1). Microbial community analysis confirmed the enrichment of propi

SUBMITTER: Isipato M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7769879 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature