Ultrasound assisted in-situ separation of sophorolipids in multi-phase
fermentation system to achieve efficient production
Abstract
Sophorolipids (SLs) are regarded as one of the most promising
biosurfactants. They have a low toxicity and are easily degradable
without polluting the environment. However, high production costs are
the main obstacle to extended SLs application. Semi-continuous
fermentation is a promising technology for achieving high SLs
productivity, which is based on in-situ separation. In this study, the
sedimentation mechanism of SLs was analyzed. The formation of a
hydrophobic mixture of SLs and oil was a key factor in sedimentation.
The hydrophobicity and density of the mixture determined SLs
sedimentation rate. According to the mechanism, ultrasonic enhanced
sedimentation technology (UEST) was introduced, by which the
sedimentation rates were increased by 46.9% to 485.4% with different
Oil/SLs ratios. UEST-assisted real-time rational in-situ separation and
semi-continuous fermentation were performed. We observed that SLs
productivity and yield were 2.15 g/L and 0.58 g/g, whereas the loss
ratio of cells, glucose, and oil was reduced by 68.2%, 16.2%, and
65.5%, respectively. In-situ SLs separation efficiency and rate were
increased by 34.5% and 26.4%, respectively. This study provides the
foundation and new horizon for the optimization of the SLs fermentation
process.