(649c) Increased Lactic Acid Production in Fermentation Process from Woody Biomass and Its Kinetic Modelling

Currently, lactic acid has been widely utilized in food industry, chemical industry and poly (lactic acid) synthesis. However, low cost lactic acid is required for the successful commercial development of cost competitive lactate esters as substitutes to those derived from petrochemical sources. Hemicellulose from woody biomass, with its renewability and readily availability, offers one of the most economically favorable substrate alternatives for biotechnological production of optically pure lactic acid. In this work, a structured kinetic model of batch fermentation of lactic acid from woody biomass is developed and the effects of operational conditions on productivity are studied, which can be further optimized for increased lactic acid production.