Obtaining fuels, products, and energy from agroindustrial waste in biological and bioelectrochemical systems: a contribution to bioeconomy.

Abstract

bioeconomy is a special issue worldwide-it comprises the use of renewable biological resources from land and sea to produce bioproducts, such as food, fuels, materials, and energy. Bioproducts and energy generation become even more economically interesting if the raw materials consist of industrial byproducts and/or waste. In this context, Laboratório de Biotecnologia Ambiental e Energias Renováveis - LABIORE, Departamento de Química - FFCLRP-USP, has been studying sustainable technologies to produce fuels and energy from wastewater and agricultural wastes. In previous research projects, our team isolated Clostridium beijerinckii strain Br21 (access number KT626859). Since then, we have exploited the metabolism of this strain to obtain H2 by fermentation. By conducting this proposed project, we aim to contribute knowledge about the biotechnological potential of the isolated strain by investigating, besides H2, other products originating from its metabolism, including organic acids, ethanol, acetone, butanol, ethanol e isopropanol. As raw materials, we will employ pure carbohydrates present in renewable feedstock (glucose and xylose), "synthetic lignocellulosic hydrolysates" containing carbohydrates and biomass hydrolysis derivatives (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, syringaldehyde, and vanillin), and hydrolysates obtained from lignocellulosic residues, such as sugarcane straw. We will carry out fermentation assays to determine the main products of the C. beijerinckii strain Br21 metabolism and kinetic variables of the bioprocesses involving these feedstocks. In a second phase of the project, an integrated fermentation / bioelectrochemical system will be investigated, aiming at recovering the H2 produced by C. beijerinckii from carbohydrates and using the fermentation by-products in a microbiological fuel cell (CMC) to generate electric energy. In this way, this project will contribute to the bioeconomy by maximizing the use of lignocellulosic raw materials for H2 production, bioproducts and energy. (AU)