Process intensification of continuous xylitol production in a 3D printing fixedbed microbioreactor by immobilized co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pachysolen tannophilus

• Published in: Chemical engineering and processing Vol. 192; p. 109522
• Main Authors: Silva, Elizabeth G., Rodrigues, Pedro H.F., Castiglioni, Gabriel L., Suarez, Carlos A.G., Severino, Vanessa G.P., Montano, Inti D.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2023
• Subjects: Pentose xylose xylulose isomerization hemicellulose; Pentose xylose xylulose isomerization hemicellulose
• ISSN: 0255-2701; 1873-3204
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2023.109522

•Production of xylitol from the hemicellulose fraction of agro-industrial residues.•Process improvement due to the use of co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pachysolen tannophilus.•Process intensification by using a 3D printing microbioreactor.•The process can be applied to manufacture various biorefinery products. In this study, a continuous 3D printing fixedbed microbioreactor was used to intensify the xylitol production process from xylose and xylulose. The approach used in this research focuses on the co-culture of two wild yeasts (S. cerevisiae and P. tannophilus). An experimental design allowed to determine that the best condition of co-culture was 50% S. cerevisiae and 50% P. tannophilus. Fermentations carried out in the microbioreactor showed an increase of 7.12-fold in the concentration of xylitol when compared with the monocultures. This approach is a promising alternative for xylitol production using the hemicellulose fraction of lignocellulosic materials in microbioreactor for the implementation of sustainable intensification process. [Display omitted]