Co-production of 1,3-Propanediol and 2,3-Butanediol from Waste Lard by Co-cultivation of Pseudomonas alcaligenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The platform chemicals 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) and 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) are important raw materials for polyesters and biofuels. However, the biosynthesis of the compounds relies on massive consumption of glucose or glycerol, leading to the uneconomical production in industrial scale. In this work, we developed a new method for co-production of 1,3-PD and 2,3-BD from waste lard to reduce the cost in carbon source supply. A waste lard utilizing Pseudomonas alcaligenes PA-3 and a 1,3-PD producing Klebsiella pneumoniae AA405 were co-cultivated by using waste lard as the sole carbon source. In a shake flask, 1.05 g/L 1,3-PD and 0.35 g/L 2,3-BD were produced from waste lard within 24 h. The addition of nitrogen source significantly increased the relative ratio of K. pneumoniae AA405 in the medium, which further favored to the higher titers of the two products. In bioreactor, the co-cultivation system produced 5.98 g/L 1,3-PD and 4.29 g/L 2,3-BD from 100 g/L waste lard within 72 h, and the conversion rate of 1,3-PD and 2,3-BD from waste lard were 62.95% and 0.75%, respectively. In all, this is the first work on 1,3-PD and 2,3-BD production from waste triglyceride, which will favor the utilization of low-cost carbon source in industrial production of chemicals.