The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Amer Aref Said Ismail, Agustin Yuana Elly, Yeow Teck Ann, Asst. Prof. Dr. Tan Peng Chee, Asst. Prof. Dr. Tan Jian Ping, from XMUM School of Energy and Chemical Engineering; Prof Yeap Swee Keong from China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences; and Prof. Fang Baishan from College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University China for publishing a research article in SCI-Q1 journal Food and Bioproducts Processing.
This study, titled “Sustainable Biological Production and Innovative Purification of the 1,3-Propanediol from Glycerol Fermentation Broth via Resin Adsorption”, introduces an innovative, eco-friendly strategy for producing and purifying 1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PDO), a versatile industrial compound, by biotransforming glycerol, a biodiesel by-product, into a high-value chemical. Traditionally derived from petroleum, 1,3-PDO production poses economic and environmental challenges. Here, however, glycerol from biodiesel production is used as a renewable feedstock, aligning with circular bioeconomy goals.
This article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2024.11.004
The purification process involves an efficient multi-step method, including centrifugation, chitosan-based flocculation, activated charcoal decolorization, and rotary evaporation, achieving a transparent broth with minimal 6% PDO loss. Equilibrium adsorption experiments and linearized models were utilized to assess the performance of the ion exchange resins. This scalable, economically viable method supports sustainable microbial 1,3-PDO production, offering a model for biodiesel by-product valorization and advancing large-scale bioprocess efficiency. The results of this reseach present a promising solution for large-scale microbial production of 1,3-PDO, addressing current purification challenges and contributing to the sustainable industrial production of this versatile compound.
This research is conducted in close collaboration with Malaysia Government-Linked Company SD-Guthrie, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Xiamen University China. It is supported by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI) under Technology Development Fund 1 (TeD 1) Project “TDF07211418”, as well as Xiamen University Malaysia Research Fund (XMUMRF) Project “XMUMRF/2023-C12/IENG/0060” and “XMUMRF/2023- C12/IENG/0061”.
Amer Aref Said Ismail: “It was a tremendous honor to have our research article, published in Food and Bioproducts Processing. This achievement was made possible through the steadfast support and guidance of my supervisor, Asst. Prof. Dr. Tan Jian Ping and the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at XMUM. I am also sincerely grateful to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI) and the Xiamen University Malaysia Research Fund (XMUMRF) for their crucial funding support. I hope that our work will inspire future researchers to explore sustainable pathways for 1,3-PDO production and purification, utilizing glycerol as a renewable feedstock in alignment with circular bioeconomy goals.”
Dr. Tan Jian Ping is an Assistant Professor and Industrial Training Coordinator for Chemical Engineering Program from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering. He is among the founding members of Bio-Alliance, consortium led by National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia, initiated by MOSTI to spearhead national bio-based technologies development in agriculture, animal feed and biotechnology. Dr Tan is among the committee member for Malaysia Academic Research on Palm Oil Sustainability (ARPOS) since 2022.