Production of degradable polymers from food-waste streams
In the United States, billions of pounds of cheese whey permeate and approximately 10 billion pounds of potatoes processed each year are typically discarded or sold as cattle feed at $3{endash}6/ton; moreover, the transportation required for these means of disposal can be expensive. As a potential solution to this economic and environmental problem, Argonne National Laboratory is developing technology that: Biologically converts existing food-processing waste streams into lactic acid and uses lactic acid for making environmentally safe, degradable polylactic acid (PLA) and modified PLA plastics and coatings. An Argonne process for biologically converting high-carbohydrate food waste will not only help to solve a waste problem for the food industry, but will also save energy and be economically attractive. Although the initial substrate for Argonne's process development is potato by-product, the process can be adapted to convert other food wastes, as well as corn starch, to lactic acid. Proprietary technology for biologically converting greater than 90% of the starch in potato wastes to glucose has been developed. Glucose and other products of starch hydrolysis are subsequently fermented by bacteria that produce lactic acid. The lactic acid is recovered, concentrated, and further purified to a polymer-grade product.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 5234268
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/CP-76088; CONF-9204159-1; ON: DE92015188
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1992 dairy produts technical conference, Chicago, IL (United States), 29-30 Apr 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
LACTIC ACID
PRODUCTION
POLYMERS
POTATOES
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
WHEY
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
CARBOHYDRATES
FERMENTATION
FOOD INDUSTRY
PROCESSING
PURIFICATION
BIOCONVERSION
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
FOOD
HYDROXY ACIDS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
INDUSTRY
MICROORGANISMS
MILK PRODUCTS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
TUBERS
VEGETABLES
WASTES
320305* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management
550700 - Microbiology