Enhanced 2,3-butanediol recovery from fermentation broth: a study on isobutanol/sodium chloride aqueous two-phase systems

• Published in: Biotechnology and bioprocess engineering Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 562 - 572
• Main Authors: Gawal, Pramod Madhukar, Lataye, Sweta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Korean Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering 01.06.2025; Springer Nature B.V; 한국생물공학회
• Subjects: Binary systems; Biotechnology; Butanediol; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chloride; Chlorine compounds; Distillation; Fermentation; Industrial and Production Engineering; Industrial production; Inorganic salts; Isobutanol; Recovery; Research Paper; Response surface methodology; Sodium; Sodium chloride; Solvents; 생물공학; Distillation; Process optimization; 2,3-Butanediol recovery; Fermentation broth; Commercial potential; Aqueous two-phase extraction
• ISSN: 1226-8372; 1976-3816
• DOI: 10.1007/s12257-025-00186-x

The extraction and recovery of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) from the fermentation broth (FB) is a significant bottleneck in industrial production. Herein, we explore the hybrid aqueous two-phase extraction combined with distillation (HATPED) for recovering 2,3-BD from FB. Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) were selected for extraction of 2,3-BD from FB by distribution studies with different organic solvent/inorganic systems. The selected isobutanol/sodium chloride ATPS was optimized through a central composite design (CCD)-based response surface methodology (RSM) to evaluate the effects of solvent concentration, extraction temperature, and salt concentration on the 2,3-BD extraction efficiency ( Y ). The optimal extraction parameters (30% w/v sodium chloride, 40 °C, 35% v/v isobutanol) resulted in a distribution coefficient ( D ) of 7.03 and a ( Y ) of 87%, exceeding theoretical values by 0.080%. The organic phase was processed in the distillation unit to concentrate the 2,3-BD. Scale-up experiments showed impressive extraction and recovery rates of 98.74% and 97.38%, respectively (purity > 99%) in two cycles. Additionally, 85.5% of sodium chloride was recovered from the aqueous phase via evaporation. This economical and scalable approach offers valuable insights for 2,3-BD recovery from FB using organic solvent/inorganic salt via HATPED.