PRODUCTION OF POLYMER-PRECURSOR CARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE: FERMENTATION, CHAIN ELONGATION, AND DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING
Keywords:
Municipal solid waste, chain elongation, carboxylate platform, butyric acid, caproic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, biopolymer precursors, waste valorisationAbstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) represents an underutilised feedstock for the production of polymer-precursor carboxylic acids via the carboxylate platform and chain elongation. This preliminary review examines the production of four key building blocks from the organic fraction of MSW: Butyric acid (C4, precursor to polyhydroxybutyrate), caproic acid (C6, precursor to polyhydroxycaproate), lactic acid (C3, precursor to polylactic acid), and succinic acid (C4, precursor to polybutylene succinate). For each chemical, fermentation strategies, key microorganisms, and separation technologies are reviewed. Lactic acid achieves the highest yields and titres but suffers from optical purity issues from mixed MSW cultures. Butyric acid offers the best overall balance of yield, productivity, and separation feasibility. Caproic acid requires chain elongation with external electron donors, resulting in lower yields and titres, and limiting its economic viability. Succinic acid is the least mature, with low yields and high separation costs. Key knowledge gaps include contaminant impacts on chain-elongating consortia, process integration at pilot scale, and low-cost separation technologies compatible with MSW solids.
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