Towards Sustainable Production of Bio-based Lactic Acid via a Bio-based Technical Route: Recent Developments and the Use of Palm Kernel Cakes in the Bioconversion
Nuraishah Abd Rahim,
Abdullah Amru Indera Luthfi,
Peer Mohamed Abdul,
Jamaliah Md Jahim,
Nurul Adela Bukhari
Affiliations
Nuraishah Abd Rahim
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia
Abdullah Amru Indera Luthfi
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia
Peer Mohamed Abdul
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia
Jamaliah Md Jahim
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia
Nurul Adela Bukhari
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600 Malaysia; Energy and Environment Unit, Engineering & Processing Research Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, Kajang, Selangor 43000 Malaysia
The continued reliance on non-renewable fossil resources has led to serious environmental issues. In light of these concerns, the transition from non-renewable sources to more sustainable ones have been explored, as exemplified by the production of bio-based lactic acid via lignocellulosic biomass bio-refinery process. Malaysia, the second-largest producer of palm oil in the world, generates abundant, cheap, and underutilized oil palm biomass in the form of palm kernel cakes. Comprised of 50% fermentable hexose sugars, palm kernel cakes have emerged as an interesting feedstock substitute in the production of bio-based fine chemicals, e.g., lactic acid. This paper focuses on current work based on selected literature published in the 21st century on the exploitation of palm kernel cakes as a novel feedstock in bio-refinery processes after addressing the current global demand and potential commodity applications of bio-based lactic acid. It then discusses current research on potential lactic acid-producing microorganisms, with particular attention to bacteria, and different pretreatment methods for carbohydrate recovery from palm kernel cakes. It also highlights the potential of oil palm biomass, especially palm kernel cakes, as a promising commodity that contributes to sugar platforms in value-added products, e.g., biofuel, bioenergy, ethanol, acids, and fine chemicals.
