Separation of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol-based fermentations of Klebsiella pneumoniae by alcohol precipitation and dilution crystallization

The separation of 1,3-propanediol from the glycerol-based fermentation broth of Klebsiella pneumoniae plays an important role during the microbial production of 1,3-propanediol.In this paper,the separation of 1,3-propanediol from fermentative broth by a combination of ultrafiltration and alcohol dilution crystallization was investi-gated.The broth was first filtered by ultrafiltration,and 99%of cells,89.4%of proteins and 69%of nucleic acids were removed.The obtained broth was further condensed by vacuum distillation,and then alcohol was added.The macro-molecular impurities,such as nucleic acids,polysaccharides and proteins,were precipitated,and inorganic and organic salts were crystallized.The optimal volume ratio of alcohol added to the condensed fermentation broth was determined to be 2:1.As a result,proteins,nucleic acids and electric conduc-tivity decreased by 97.4%,89.7%and 95.8%,respectively,compared with the fermentative broth.The influences of pH and water content in condensed broth on alcohol precipi-tation and dilution crystallization were also investigated.The experimental results indicated that alcohol precipitation and dilution crystallization was feasible and effective for the separation of 1,3-propanediol from actual fermentation broth.