Current perspectives on acidogenic fermentation to produce volatile fatty acids from waste (original) (raw)

2021, Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are key platform chemicals used in a multitude of industries including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture. The current route for VFA production is petrochemical based. VFAs can be biologically produced using organic wastes as substrate, therefore directly contributing to a sustainable economy. This process is commonly known as acidogenic fermentation (AF). This review explores the current research on the development of AF processes optimized for VFA production. Three process steps are considered: feedstock pretreatment, fermentation, and primary product recovery with a focus on in situ recovery. Pretreatment is required for recalcitrant feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic substrates. Different pretreatment techniques for AF application have not been studied in depth. The operational parameters of AF (temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time, substrate concentration, etc.) highly influence microbial activity, VFA yields and product distri...