From Agricultural Wastes to Fermentation Nutrients: A Case Study of 2,3-Butanediol Production
Christopher Chukwudi Okonkwo,
Ademola Duduyemi,
Victor Chinomso Ujor,
Hasan K. Atiyeh,
Ifeanyi Iloba,
Nasib Qureshi,
Thaddeus Chukwuemeka Ezeji
Affiliations
Christopher Chukwudi Okonkwo
Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, and Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Ademola Duduyemi
Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, and Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Victor Chinomso Ujor
Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1605 Linden Drive, Maddison, WI 53706, USA
Hasan K. Atiyeh
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Ifeanyi Iloba
Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, and Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Nasib Qureshi
Bioenergy Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1815 N University Street, Peoria, IL 61604, USA
Thaddeus Chukwuemeka Ezeji
Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, and Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
The goal of this study was to improve resource use efficiency in agricultural systems and agro-based industries, reduce wastes that go to landfills and incinerators, and consequently, improve the economics of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) production. This study evaluated the feasibility of 2,3-BD production by replacing the mineral nutrients, and buffers with anaerobic digestate (ADE), poultry-litter (PLBC)- and forage-sorghum (FSBC)-derived biochars. Fermentation media formulations with ADE and 5–20 g/L PLBC or FSBC were evaluated for 2,3-BD production using Paenibacillus polymyxa as a biocatalyst. An optimized medium containing nutrients and buffers served as control. While 2,3-BD production in the ADE cultures was 0.5-fold of the maximum generated in the control cultures, 2,3-BD produced in the PLBC and FSBC cultures were ~1.3-fold more than the control (33.6 g/L). Cost analysis showed that ADE and biochar can replace mineral nutrients and buffers in the medium with the potential to make bio-based 2,3-BD production profitably feasible.
