• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.71-75
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• 2010

Production of crude glycerol from biodiesel industry is expected to exceed the commercial demand for purified glycerol in the near future. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of co-digestion of crude glycerol with swine manure. Crude glycerol up to 13.8 g/L was regarded as a good co-substrate for swine manure digester. It improved methane production and productivity by 90% and 120%, respectively. Methane yield of crude glycerol at the condition was estimated to be 232 mL/g. However, it inhibited methanogenic activity at above 27.5 g/L. Optimum concentration of crude glycerol for co-digestion with swine manure would be near to 13.8 g/L.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.497-506
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• 2014

In this study, crude glycerol was used as a carbon source in the cultivation of wild yeasts, aiming at the production of microbial lipids and citric acid. Forty yeasts of different sources were tested concerning their growth in crude and commercial glycerol. Four yeasts (Lindnera saturnus UFLA CES-Y677, Yarrowia lipolytica UFLA CM-Y9.4, Rhodotorula glutinis NCYC 2439, and Cryptococcus curvatus NCYC 476) were then selected owing to their ability to grow in pure ($OD_{600}$ 2.133, 1.633, 2.055, and 2.049, respectively) and crude ($OD_{600}$ 2.354, 1.753, 2.316, and 2.281, respectively) glycerol (10%, 20%, and 30%). Y. lipolytica UFLA CM-Y9.4 was selected for its ability to maintain cell viability in concentrations of 30% of crude glycerol, and high glycerol intake (18.907 g/l). This yeast was submitted to lipid production in 30 g/l of crude glycerol, and therefore obtained 63.4% of microbial lipids. In the fatty acid profile, there was a predominance of stearic (C18:0) and palmitic (C16:0) acids in the concentrations of 87.64% and 74.67%, respectively. We also performed optimization of the parameters for the production of citric acid, which yielded a production of 0.19 g/l of citric acid in optimum conditions (38.4 g/l of crude glycerol, agitation of 184 rpm, and temperature of $30^{\circ}C$). Yarrowia lipolytica UFLA CM-Y9.4 presented good lipid production when in the concentration of 30 g/l of glycerol. These data may be used for production in large quantities for the application of industrial biodiesel.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.413-418
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• 2008

The production of 1,3.propanediol (1,3-PD) was investigated with Klebsiella pneumoniae DSM2026 and K. pneumoniae DSM4799 using crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel industry. Crude glycerol was used without prior purification to investigate effects of impurities in crude glycerol on 1,3-PD production. In the batch cultures, 1,3-PD production with crude glycerol was $1.1{\sim}2.5$ times higher than that with pure glycerol, indicating that crude glycerol is even a better substrate than pure glycerol for 1,3-PD fermentation. When glucose was added, 1,3-PD production and yield decreased in spite of enhanced cell growth. Furthermore, the addition of glucose was found to increase 2,3-butanediol, a by-product, significantly because of the change in metabolism in the presence of glucose. In semi-batch cultures without glucose addition, 26 g/L 1,3-PD was produced with crude glycerol, which was $2{\sim}3$ times higher than that with pure glycerol. Based on our results, it was clearly shown that crude glycerol is an effective substrate for biological 1,3-PD production, making it more feasible to produce 1,3-PD at a lower price.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2011

The effects of pH, glycerol concentration and salt on cell growth and ethanol production using Enterobacter aerogenes KCTC 2190 were evaluated in the anaerobic culture condition. In condition of initial pH 5, cell growth and ethanol production were highest. An initial concentration of 10 g/L of pure glycerol gave the highest cell growth and ethanol production. However, in case of over 15 g/L of pure glycerol, they decreased. The cell growth and ethanol production decreased with the increase of salt concentration. When 10 g/L of crude glycerol was used as the carbon source, the cell growth and ethanol production were $1.32\;OD_{600}$ and 3.95 g/L, respectively, which were about 94.4% and 88.5% compared to those of pure glycerol. These result indicates that the crude glycerol produced in the biodiesel manufacturing process maybe useful as a potential carbon source for ethanol production form Enterobacter aerogenes KCTC 2190.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2024

This research investigated the preparation of activated carbon derived from Krabok (Irvingia malayana) seed shells to improve the quality of crude glycerol obtained during biodiesel production. The activated carbon was prepared using a dry chemical activation method with NaOH, utilizing an innovative biomass incinerator. The results revealed that the resulting KC/AC-two-step exhibited favorable physicochemical adsorption properties, with a high surface area of 758.72 m²/g and an iodine number of 611.10 mg/g. These values meet the criteria of the industrial product standard for activated carbon No. TIS 900-2004, as specified by the Ministry of Industry in Thailand. Additionally, the adsorption efficiency for methylene blue reached an impressive 99.35 %. This developed activated carbon was then used to improve the quality of crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel production. The experimental results showed that the KC/AC-two-step increased the purity of crude glycerol to 73.61 %. In comparison, commercially available activated carbon (C/AC) resulted in a higher crude glycerol purity of 81.19 %, as analyzed by the GC technique. Additionally, the metal content (Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd, and Na) in purified glycerol using KC/AC-two-step was below the standards for heavy metals permitted in food and cosmeceuticals by the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand and the European Committee for Food Contact Materials and Articles. As a result, it can be inferred that Krabok seed shells have favorable properties for producing activated carbon suitable as an adsorbent to enhance crude glycerol purity. Furthermore, the improved crude glycerol from this research has potential for various industrial applications.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.341-348
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• 2016

This study aimed to develop a microbial process for producing aminolevulinic acid (ALA) using crude glycerol. In the culture of ALA-producing cells (Escherichia coli/pH-hemA) in a medium containing crude glycerol, the cell density and production were 1.8-fold and 1.2-fold lower than those obtained from pure glycerol, respectively. However, the cell growth and production were improved by supplementing the medium with trehalose (30 or 100 g/l). Engineered cells (E. coli/pH-hemA/pS-otsBA) were constructed to express otsBA and their culture performance was compared with that of control cells (E. coli/pH-hemA/ pSTV28). The effects of isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentration and the time of induction were examined to improve the cell growth and ALA production in engineered cells cultured using crude glycerol. When 0.6 mM of IPTG was added at the beginning of the exponential growth phase, the ALA produced by cells was 2,121 mg/l, which was comparable to that from pure glycerol. The results demonstrate that otsBA expression endowed cells with the capacity to tolerate the toxicity of crude glycerol for direct use.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2015

The growth of the algae strains Neochloris oleabundans, Botryococcus Braunii and Dunaliella sp. under mixotrophic conditions in the presence of different concentrations of crude glycerol was evaluated with the objective of increasing the biomass growth and algal oil content. A high biomass concentration was characteristic of these strains when grown on crude glycerol compared to autotrophic growth, and 5 g/L glycerol yielded the highest biomass concentration for these strains. Mixotrophic conditions improved both the growth of the microalgae and the accumulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs). The maximum amount of TAGs in the algal strains was obtained in the 5 g/L glycerol growth medium. The fatty acid profiles of the oil for the cultures met the necessary requirements and are promising resources for biofuel production.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.399-404
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• 2014

Production of biodegradable polymer polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from industrial wastes exhibits several advantages such as recycle of waste and the production of high valuable products. To this end, this study aimed at isolating from the sewage treatment plant a PHA producing bacterium capable of utilizing wastes generated from biodiesel and food industries. A Bacillus cereus strain capable of producing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] was isolated, which was followed by confirmation of P(3HB) accumulation by gas-chromatographic analyses. Then, the effects of nutrient limitation on P(3HB) production by B. cereus was first examined. Cells cultured in a minimal medium under the limitation of nitrogen, potassium and sulfur suggested that nitrogen limitation allows the highest P(3HB) accumulation. Next, production of P(3HB) was examined from both waste of biodiesel production (crude glycerol) and waste from food industry (spent coffee grounds). Cells cultured in nitrogen-limited minimal medium supplemented crude glycerol and waste spent coffee grounds extract accumulated P(3HB) to the contents of 2.4% and 1.0% of DCW. This is the first report demonstrating the capability of B. cereus to produce P(3HB) from waste raw materials such as crude glycerol and spent coffee grounds.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.893-902
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• 2015

Various Lactobacillus reuteri strains were screened for the ability to convert glycerol to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) in a glycerol-glucose co-fermentation. Only L. reuteri DSM 20016, a well-known probiotic, was able to efficiently carry out this bioconversion. Several process strategies were employed to improve this process. Co²⁺ addition to the fermentation medium, led to a high product titer (46 g/l) of 1,3-PDO and to improved biomass synthesis. L. reuteri DSM 20016 produced also ca. 3 µg/g of cell dry weight of vitamin B₁₂, conferring an economic value to the biomass produced in the process. Incidentally, we found that L. reuteri displays the highest resistance to Co²⁺ ions ever reported for a microorganism. Two waste materials (crude glycerol from biodiesel industry and spruce hydrolysate from paper industry) alone or in combination were used as feedstocks for the production of 1,3-PDO by L. reuteri DSM 20016. Crude glycerol was efficiently converted into 1,3-PDO although with a lower titer than pure glycerol (33.3 vs. 40.7 g/l). Compared with the fermentation carried out with pure substrates, the 1,3-PDO produced was significantly lower (40.7 vs. 24.2 g/l) using cellulosic hydrolysate and crude glycerol, but strong increases of the maximal biomass produced (2.9 vs 4.3 g/l CDW) and of the glucose consumption rate were found. The results of this study lay the foundation for further investigations to exploit the biotechnological potential of L. reuteri DSM 20016 to produce 1,3-PDO and vitamin B₁₂ using industry byproducts.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.768-774
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• 2009

To improve the productivity of 1,3-propanediol(1,3-PD) with K. pneumoniae DSM4799 using pure glycerol and crude glycerol derived from the biodiesel process, optimizing fermentation conditions was performed by changing environmental factors such as anaerobic/aerobic condition, temperature, glycerol concentration, and pH. When anaerobic conditions were maintained, there was an improved 1,3-PD production compared with that from aerobic/anaerobic 2-stage fermentation. From the results with temperature $26{\sim}37^{\circ}C$, the higher 1,3-PD production yield was observed at $30{\sim}33^{\circ}C$. For an initial glycerol concentration higher than 60 g/L, cell growth and 1,3-PD production were inhibited. When crude glycerol was used, the initial 1,3-PD production appeared to be inhibited. After 48 hr of incubation, however, 1,3-PD production with crude glycerol was even higher than that with pure glycerol, demonstrating the feasibility of 1,3-PD production using crude glycerol as a substrate. Fed-batch fermentation was applied for the high concentration of 1,3-PD without substrate inhibition. By regulating pH at 7 during the fed-batch with glycerol lower than 40 g/L, the yield of 1,3-PD was 25% higher than that without pH regulation(0.56 g/g vs. 0.45 g/g). In conclusion, based on our results, anaerobic conditions, temperature at $30^{\circ}C$, pure or crude glycerol lower than 40 g/L, and pH regulation at 7 were the optimized conditions for 1,3-PD production using K. pneumoniae DSM4799, making it more feasible to produce 1,3-PD at higher concentration and a lower price.