A novel approach for itaconic acid extraction: Mixture of trioctylamine and tridodecylamine in different diluents

Integrated process development of a reactive extraction concept for itaconic acid and application to a real fermentation broth

Itaconic acid (IA) has a high potential to be used as a bio-based platform chemical and its biocatalytic production via fermentation has significantly improved within the last decade. Additionally downstream processing using reactive extraction (RE) was described, potentially enabling a more efficient sustainable bioprocess producing IA. The bottleneck to overcome is the connection of up- and downstream processing, caused by lack of biocompatibility of the RE systems and direct application to fermentation broth. Within this study, a biocompatible RE system for IA is defined (pH dependency, extraction mechanism) and used for direct application to a fermentation broth. By optimizing the biocatalyst, the production medium, and the extraction system in an integrated approach, it was possible to define critical parameters that enabled a tuning of the overall bioprocess. With an extraction yield of Y _IA = 0.80 ± 0.03, IA could be produced as sole carboxylic acid ( b IA , 0 aq  = 0.490 mol/kg^aq) using a RE system consisting of ethyl oleate as organic solvent and tri-n-octylamine as extractant ( b T - C 8 org  = 0.6 mol/kg^org). This work is a proof of concept and demonstrates that by joint consideration of up- and downstream processing, optimized bioprocesses can be developed.

Emerging biotechnologies for production of itaconic acid and its applications as a platform chemical

Recently, itaconic acid (IA), an unsaturated C5-dicarboxylic acid, has attracted much attention as a biobased building block chemical. It is produced industrially (>80 g L−1) from glucose by fermentation with Aspergillus terreus. The titer is low compared with citric acid production (>200 g L−1). This review summarizes the latest progress on enhancing the yield and productivity of IA production. IA biosynthesis involves the decarboxylation of the TCA cycle intermediate cis-aconitate through the action of cis-aconitate decarboxylase (CAD) enzyme encoded by the CadA gene in A. terreus. A number of recombinant microorganisms have been developed in an effort to overproduce it. IA is used as a monomer for production of superabsorbent polymer, resins, plastics, paints, and synthetic fibers. Its applications as a platform chemical are highlighted. It has a strong potential to replace petroleum-based methylacrylic acid in industry which will create a huge market for IA.

Development of reactive extraction systems for itaconic acid: a step towards in situ product recovery for itaconic acid fermentation

Process optimization by integration of bioconversion with product separation and recovery i.e. in situ product recovery (ISPR) is an important means to develop a sustainable and petrochemical-competitive biotechnological method for itaconic acid production.