The effect of the feed loading system on the production of lactic acid from molasses
Rahmayetty, Nufus Kanani
Chemical Engineering Department, Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa
Abstract
Lactic acid is a chemical with widwe variety applications that pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food industries, etc. One of the major uses of lactic acid is the polylactic acid (PLA) feedstock which is biodegradable and biocompatible as an alternative to plastic derived from fossil fuels. Efforts continue to be made to reduce the cost of producing PLA in order to compete with conventional petrochemical-based plastics. Efforts made include using molasses as a raw material because it is cheap and contains high glucose. The purpose of this study was to obtain the best substrate input system by comparing batch and fed batch systems to obtain the optimum loading concentration in lactic acid synthesis. This study was conducted in several stages, namely the design of bioreactors, inoculation of Lactobacillus achidopillus, fermentation of molasses and purification of lactic acid. In a batch system, molasses substrate was directly inserted as much as 1 liter in the fermentor, while in the substrate fed batch system was inserted simultaneously using a dossing pump with varying loading rates of 75; 100; 150 and 250 ml/hr, up to a total volume of 1000 ml. The analysis carried out on fermentation products was the cell concentration, lactic acid and total sugar cocentration. The results of this study indicate that fed batch fermentation produces higher concentrations of lactic acid.
Keywords: molasses, batch, fed batch, lactic acid, Lactobacillus achidopillus
Topic: Chemical Engineering