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Integrating the Carboxylate Platform into a Red Seaweed Biorefinery

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Abstract

Macroalgae are an important source of food, fertilizer, hydrocolloids, and healthful bioactive components. Macroalgae are also being considered sources of biofuels, which require minimal demands for arable land, fresh water, or fertilizers. In this study, we explored the possibility of developing a red seaweed biorefinery process to extract carrageenan while producing chemical or biofuel co-products derived from the carrageenan extraction wastes. A common approach to processing organic wastes is to generate biogas; however, in this study, we targeted a potentially higher value option by applying acidogenic digestion to convert extraction wastes to carboxylic acids and derived compounds. Using an open culture of microorganisms, wastes from a carrageenan extraction plant were converted to mixed carboxylic acids, which were then neutralized and thermally decomposed to a variety of ketones. Batch digestions of the wastes were carried out at temperatures of 35 °C and 55 °C. Either calcium carbonate or ammonium bicarbonate was used as buffer. A solid–liquid counter-current percolation fermentation was operated in four stages at 35 °C. Digestion produced carboxylic acids ranging in chain length from one to seven carbons. The mesophilic temperature gave higher carboxylic acid yield and longer chain acids, with the highest acid titer reaching 18 g L−1. Thermal decomposition of carboxylate salts produced a mixture of ketones which contained acetone, 3-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 2-heptanone, 3-heptanone, and 4-octanone as major products. These ketones could be sold as chemicals or hydrogenated to form corresponding chain length secondary alcohols which deliver higher energy density than ethanol.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the support from FMC Biopolymer Rockland, Maine, who provided the Algefiber®. We thank Dr. Martin Lawoko, Dr. Sedat Beis, Dr. Diane Smith, Dr. Byung-Hwan Um, Keith Hodgins, Nick Hill, Justin Crouse, and Amos Cline for the analytical and technical support. Special thanks to Dr. Adriaan R.P van Heiningen and Dr. Clayton Wheeler for their insight and guidance.

Funding

US Department of Energy grant No. DE-FG36-08GO18165 provided the funding for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, University of Maine, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, ME, 04469-5737, USA

    Sampath A. Karunarathne & G. Peter van Walsum

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  1. Sampath A. Karunarathne
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  2. G. Peter van Walsum
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by S. A. Karunarathne, overseen by G. P. van Walsum. The first draft of the manuscript was written by S. A. Karunarathne and all authors contributed to previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to G. Peter van Walsum.

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Highlights

• By-products from seaweed processing are suitable for carboxylate platform processing.

• Carrageenan by-product solids were converted to mixed carboxylic acids and ketones.

• Fermentation at mesophilic temperatures with CaCO3 buffer gave optimal acid yields.

• Four percolation columns in series demonstrated countercurrent fermentation.

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Karunarathne, S.A., van Walsum, G.P. Integrating the Carboxylate Platform into a Red Seaweed Biorefinery. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 194, 1235–1258 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-021-03699-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-021-03699-2

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