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Analyzing the Effects of Culture Media Additives on Oxalic Acid Bioproduction for Use in Metal Bioleaching

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Abstract

Oxalic acid, widely used in industries like metallurgy, was produced using A. niger in this study. Different culture media additives, including manganese ions, ethanol, carbonate ions, sodium citrate, sodium oxalate, succinic acid, ascorbic acid, and buffered medium, were investigated for their impact on oxalic acid production. The study also assessed the effectiveness of biogenerated oxalic acid for extracting metals from autocatalyst waste. Findings showed that adding 6 g/L sodium citrate, 6 g/L disodium oxalate, 0.1 g/L MnSO4·H2O, 1%(v/v) ethanol, 5 g/L CaCO3, and a buffered medium at pH 6 stimulated the highest production of oxalic acid, resulting in concentrations of 9228, 10,804, 4952, 5289, 6955, and 11,929 mg/L, respectively. Without any additives, the production of oxalic acid was measured at 4727 mg/L. Oxalic acid exhibited greater efficiency in extracting Pt and Pd from autocatalyst waste at low pH. However, CaCO3 and buffer medium, while effective for high oxalic acid production, created an unsuitable high pH environment for metal extraction. Consequently, by incorporating the combination of screened additives into the liquid fungal culture medium, higher oxalic acid production was achieved in a shorter cultivation time while maintaining a suitable pH for the metal leaching process.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by Tarbiat Modares University under grant number IG-39701.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Group, Chemical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Nazanin Bahaloo-Horeh & Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi

  2. Modares Environmental Research Institute, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi

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  1. Nazanin Bahaloo-Horeh
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Bahaloo-Horeh, N., Mousavi, S.M. Analyzing the Effects of Culture Media Additives on Oxalic Acid Bioproduction for Use in Metal Bioleaching. Waste Biomass Valor 15, 2687–2703 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-023-02381-4

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