Monday, November 7, 2011
Capri Ballroom (Marriott Marco Island)
Increasing demand and depletion of fossil fuels leads to the search of new and eco friendly fuel. Amongst them biodiesel plays important role, biodiesel are nothing but fatty acid methyl esters derived from oils obtained from various sources (Vegetable oils, Algal oils, etc.,). The processing of biodiesel yields glycerol as byproduct, approximately 10 wt%. This glycerol can be utilized for the production of various value products, one among them was bioplastics. Glycerol obtained as biodiesel industry byproduct is subjected to microbial fermentation by acetic acid bacteria to produce glyceric acid. This glyceric acid can be then converted into poly lactic acid by polycondensation with lactide. In this study the production of glyceric acid from glycerol was studied using acetic acid bacteria Acetobacter liquefaciens (MTCC No. 3135). Production of glyceric acid from various types of glycerol sources (Purified glycerol, crude glycerol and alalytical grade) was studied and compared. The results shows that crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel industry can be used for glyceric acid production, which can make a high impact on the economics.
Key words: Bioplastics, Glyceric acid, Glycerol