PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Fermentation revolution? Trash becomes treasure as bio-waste yields valuable acetone and isopropanol

Fermentation revolution? Trash becomes treasure as bio-waste yields valuable acetone and isopropanol
2024-01-31
(Press-News.org) In a major stride towards sustainable industrial fermentation, a team of researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands, has unveiled pioneering advancements in the purification of isopropanol and acetone from the fermentation of waste gases. The study, published in SCI's Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, introduces novel processes that promise to elevate the efficiency and viability of large-scale production.

Isopropanol and acetone have a combined global market of $10 billion. Both chemicals are important industry solvents and isopropanol also has significant applications as a pharmaceutical ingredient due to its low toxicity. Conventional production relies on fossil carbon-dependent methods which are becoming less favourable as stricter environmental regulations come into place.

Overturning conventional production

A promising and more sustainable manufacturing process involves the recycling of industrial waste gases and syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen which can be produced from bio-waste) using engineered bacteria. Notably, LanzaTech, a US based biotechnology company which is not connected to TU Delft’s research, are currently piloting this syngas fermentation method to produce isopropanol and acetone.

A potential barrier to scale-up of this technology comes at the product purification stage; limitations to the fermentation method mean product concentrations are low, resulting in a very dilute fermentation broth.

Anton A. Kiss, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at TU Delft and corresponding author of the study explained, ‘The challenge is to remove a large amount of water per kilogram of product, without high energy costs. This was addressed in our research by determining the optimal operating conditions that allowed significant process heat recovery.’

Highly efficient downstream processes

The team focused on two options for initial recovery of isopropanol and acetone: vacuum distillation and pass-through distillation. ‘Vacuum distillation was investigated as a classic method that can be used for recovery of volatile fermentation products, while pass-through distillation is a novel separation method that has never been implemented to complex mixtures,’ explained Kiss. He noted that the pass-through distillation method does not require the use of expensive refrigeration, which is needed for vacuum distillation.

Through the successful design of industrial-scale processes, high-purity isopropanol and acetone were obtained with recoveries of over 99.2%. The research revealed that all proposed processes are highly competitive with respect to both cost and environmental impact. When considering the integration of these processes into industrial plants, Kiss said, ‘Due to possible differences in availability of electricity and heating utilities, the optimal process design should be chosen depending on the exact plant location.’

Paving the way for sustainable industrial fermentation

The novel isopropanol and acetone recovery processes presented in this research mark a significant step forward in sustainable industrial fermentation. The team are now turning their attention to the purification of other high-value chemicals. Kiss explained, ‘We are designing recovery processes for various volatile chemicals from fermentation broth, to find general design rules. We are working on collaborations in which we can transfer our knowledge to companies who can implement these designs in industry.’

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Fermentation revolution? Trash becomes treasure as bio-waste yields valuable acetone and isopropanol

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The hottest catalog of the year: the most comprehensive list of slow-building solar flares yet

The hottest catalog of the year: the most comprehensive list of slow-building solar flares yet
2024-01-31
Solar flares occur when magnetic energy builds up in the Sun’s atmosphere and is released as electromagnetic radiation. Lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, flares usually reach temperatures around 10 million degrees Kelvin. Because of their intense electromagnetic energy, solar flares can cause disruptions in radio communications, Earth-orbiting satellites and even result in blackouts. Although flares have been classified based on the amount of energy they emit at their peak, there has not been significant study into differentiating ...

Researchers uncover potential non-opioid treatment for chronic pain

Researchers uncover potential non-opioid treatment for chronic pain
2024-01-31
Among the most difficult types of pain to alleviate is neuropathic pain, pain that is usually caused by damage to nerves in various body tissues, including skin, muscle and joints. It can cause patients to suffer feelings like electric shocks, tingling, burning or stabbing. Diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy drugs, injuries and amputations have all been associated with neuropathic pain, which is often chronic, sometimes unrelenting and affects millions of people worldwide. Many of the available pain medications are only moderately effective at treating this type of pain and often come with serious ...

John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) physician co-authors clinical research on innovative oral leukemia therapy

2024-01-31
Researchers at Hackensack Meridian’s John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC), are part of a published Phase 3 study reporting on the equivalent safety and effectiveness in the oral treatment of blood cancers–such as myelodysplastic syndrome and/or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia–to its previously inpatient, intravenous treatment counterparts.    John Theurer Cancer Center is part of the NCI-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University.    Dr. James K. McCloskey, M.D., led JTCC’s ...

UC Irvine scientists make breakthrough in quantum materials research

2024-01-31
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 31, 2024 — Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Los Alamos National Laboratory, publishing in the latest issue of Nature Communications, describe the discovery of a new method that transforms everyday materials like glass into materials scientists can use to make quantum computers.   “The materials we made are substances that exhibit unique electrical or quantum properties because of their specific atomic shapes or structures,” said Luis A. Jauregui, professor of physics & astronomy ...

BCAS1 defines a heterogeneous cell population in diffuse glioma patients

BCAS1 defines a heterogeneous cell population in diffuse glioma patients
2024-01-31
“[...] this is the first study describing a BCAS1+ cell population in a large cohort of diffuse glioma patients.” BUFFALO, NY- January 31, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on January 24, 2024, entitled, “BCAS1 defines a heterogeneous cell population in diffuse gliomas.” Oligodendrocyte precursor markers have become of great interest to identify new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for diffuse gliomas, since state-of-the-art studies point towards immature oligodendrocytes as a possible source of gliomagenesis. Brain enriched myelin associated ...

Microgreens made to order: Italian scientists have tailored iodine and potassium content of radishes, peas, rocket and chard

Microgreens made to order: Italian scientists have tailored iodine and potassium content of radishes, peas, rocket and chard
2024-01-31
In a significant development for personalised nutrition, researchers in Italy have cultivated microgreens with bespoke nutritional profiles to serve individual dietary requirements. The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (doi: 10.1002/jsfa.13222), provides a blueprint for the soilless cultivation of nutritionally enriched plants in a commercial greenhouse setting. Co-authors Massimiliano D’Imperio and Francesco Serio, both at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA) National Council ...

How to make bright quantum dots even brighter

2024-01-31
Quantum dots are a kind of artificial atom: just a few nanometres in size and made of semiconductor materials, they can emit light of a specific colour or even single photons, which is important for quantum technologies. The discoverers and pioneers of the commercial production of quantum dots were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023. In recent years, quantum dots made of perovskites have attracted particular attention. Perovskites belong to a class of materials that have a similar structure to the mineral perovskite ...

Method combines artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to map crop-livestock integration systems

Method combines artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to map crop-livestock integration systems
2024-01-31
Crop-livestock integration (CLI) systems combine the growing of crops in rotation or consortium, especially grain crops such as soybeans, corn and sorghum, and forage plants used to feed cattle and pigs, with the raising of livestock, typically beef cattle. The crops provide most of the cash income, while the livestock has food available during the dry season and facilitates seed management. CLI improves soil fertility, raises yields and helps rehabilitate degraded areas while reducing the use of pesticides, mitigating the risk of erosion and the seasonality of production, and lowering ...

Pedestrian injuries from falls versus motor vehicle collisions: are we lacking critical policy and interventions?

2024-01-31
January 31, 2024—Using Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health compared the national burden of pedestrian injuries from motor vehicles to that of pedestrian falls occurring on streets and sidewalks and found that the probability of a pedestrian suffering a severe injury is higher for motor vehicle collisions as compared to falls.   Yet, the public health burden of the number of pedestrians injured from a fall – severe or otherwise - is significantly higher compared to the number of pedestrians injured by a motor ...

Treatment of aggressive breast cancer: discovery of a new protein involved in the development of metastases

Treatment of aggressive breast cancer: discovery of a new protein involved in the development of metastases
2024-01-31
A protein found abundantly in breast cancers that are refractory to conventional treatments is thought to cause the development of metastasis. Targeting it would prevent metastatic spread and therefore increase patients survival. These are the findings of a study conducted by a French-American team and led by a biologist at CNRS1. The study, the results of which appear on 31st January in Cell Discovery, aims to better understand the mechanisms at play in the development of primary tumours in aggressive ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Family-based intervention programs are insufficient to prevent childhood obesity, major study finds

Emotions expressed in real-time barrage comments relate to purchasing intentions and imitative behavior

Your genes could prune your gut bugs and protect you from disease

EMBARGOED MEDIA RELEASE: Breathlessness increases long-term mortality risk, Malawi study finds

Permeable inspection of pharmaceuticals goes in-line

Warming rivers in Alaska threaten Chinook salmon populations and Indigenous food security

New multi-disciplinary approach sheds light on the role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in cancer

Worms reveal just how cramped cells really are

Alzheimer’s disease digital resources lacking for Latinos, Hispanics in Los Angeles years after COVID-19, study finds

Chronic disease deaths decline globally, but progress is slowing

The Lancet: Chronic disease deaths decline globally, but progress is slowing

The Lancet: Parent-focused programs insufficient to prevent obesity in toddlers, finds meta-analysis; authors call for a re-think of childhood obesity prevention approaches

Study sheds light on hurdles faced in transforming NHS healthcare with AI

Astrocytic “brake” that blocks spinal cord repair identified

As farm jobs decline, food industry work holds steady

Kennesaw State researcher aiming to move AI beyond the cloud

Revolutionizing impedance flow cytometry with adjustable microchannel height

Treating opioid addiction in jails improves treatment engagement, reduces overdose deaths and reincarceration

Can’t sleep? Insomnia associated with accelerated brain aging

Study links teacher turnover to higher rates of student suspensions, disciplinary referrals

How harmful bacteria hijack crops

Crowded conditions muddle frogs’ mating choices

A new way to guide light, undeterred

Researchers uncover how COVID-19 may linger in cancer patients and affect treatment outcomes

Tiny metal figurines from Sardinia's Nuragic civilization in around 1,000 BC reveal extensive ancient Mediterranean metal trading networks

Natural microfibers may degrade differently to synthetic materials under simulated sunlight exposure in freshwater and seawater conditions, with implications for how such pollutants affect aquatic lif

Indian new mums report better postpartum wellbeing when their own mum acts as their primary support - while women whose mother-in-law is the primary caregiver instead report significantly lower overal

Young adult intelligence and education are correlated with socioeconomic status in midlife

Traditional and “existential” wellness vary significantly between US regions

Smartwatches detect early signs of PTSD among those watching coverage of the Oct 7 attacks in Israel

[Press-News.org] Fermentation revolution? Trash becomes treasure as bio-waste yields valuable acetone and isopropanol