Valorization of Byproducts from the Sugarcane Industry Through Production of 1,3-Propanediol by Lentilactobacillus diolivorans

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the use of sugarcane industry byproducts (bagasse and molasses), as well as glycerol from the liquor of the organosolv pretreatment of bagasse, to bioproduce 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO). For this purpose, Lentilactobacillus diolivorans was used, which can produce 1,3-PDO from a mixture of glycerol and sugars. First, experiments were conducted using the MRS medium to investigate the effect of various carbohydrate sources and their mixtures on the growth profile and 1,3-PDO production by L. diolivorans. Subsequently, the carbohydrates in the MRS medium were replaced with sugarcane byproducts. The results showed that the type of carbohydrate plays a crucial role in growth kinetics and 1,3-PDO production. Xylose and glucose showed the best results; however, sucrose was not enough to support biomass formation. The presence of xylose increased sucrose assimilation, resulting in a 4.5-fold increase in the concentration of 1,3-PDO from 1.3 to 6.18 g/L. An auspicious outcome was observed when the liquor of the acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse, molasses, and organosolv liquor were used as substrates, resulting in a production of 5.47 g/L 1,3-PDO with an efficiency of 82.77%. Therefore, producing a high-value chemical such as 1,3-PDO from the sugarcane byproducts seems to be a very promising strategy.