Seminar of the Department of Microbiology

Mixed organic acid production using ruminal acidogenic microorganisms cultivated on agricultural wastes

Maliheh Sarikhani - PhD candidate - Dept. Microbiology Alzhara University Teheran (Iran)

30.11.2023, 11:00 - ONLINE & IN PRESENCE

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• or in presence: HSB 4 (Technikerstraße 13b, EG)

Abstract

Due to the fact that non-renewable fuels are running out and also in order to reduce the production of pollutants caused by these fuels, it is tried to use renewable fuels such as ethanol as an alternative. The consumption of ethanol is increasing, but the production of this fuel from the fermentation of plants also leaves waste, which is called vinasse. Vinasse is an acidic waste rich in organic substances, whose processing methods are not well known, but it has the potential to become valuable compounds. Vinasse consists of 93% water and 7% solids, and has abundant amounts of salt and about 40% organic matter, which is mainly composed of organic acids, which makes this substance have a low pH. Therefore, its regular disposal in the soil or water masses has caused environmental problems because it changes the chemical and physicochemical properties for the organisms living in these environments. The aim of this research is to enrich vinasse as a raw material for the production of a product enriched with organic acids such as acetic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, etc. by microorganisms isolated from the rumen of cattle. Such products can have many applications in agriculture, various industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and even as animal and poultry feed.