Continuous production of succinic acid with Actinobacillus succinogenes biofilms: Effect of complex nitrogen source on yield and productivity

Abstract

Continuous fermentations were performed in an external-recycle, biofilm reactor using glucose and CO2 as carbon substrates. The nitrogen source for the auxotrophic Actinobacillus succinogenes was a combination of yeast extract (YE) and corn steep liquor (CSL), and sometimes only YE or CSL was used. In this study, the succinic acid productivity of A. succinogenes decreased by 67% as the amount of YE in the complex nitrogen source mixture decreased from 16 g·L-1 to 0 g·L-1. Succinic acid production increased as the CSL concentration in the nitrogen source increased, and the mass ratio of succinic acid to acetic acid exceeded the theoretical maximum limit of 3,93 g·g-1 when only CSL was used as the nitrogen source. The mass ratio of formic acid to acetic acid was consistently within the theoretical yield limitations (0,77 g·g−1) and decreased as the CSL concentration in the nitrogen source increased. The highest SA concentration in this study was 22,57 g·L-1 when only YE was used as the nitrogen source in the growth medium, and the highest SA productivity obtained in this study was 1,58 g·L-1·h-1 when a combination of YE and CSL was used as a nitrogen source. The highest mass ratio of SA to AA achieved was 8,3 g·g-1 when CSL was the sole nitrogen source. The mass ratio of FA to AA was consistently less than 0,77 g·g-1, approaching 0 g·g-1, as the CSL concentration in the nitrogen source increased.