Pasta waste has previously been studied in a process to obtain lactic acid through a sequential hydrolysis and fermentation. The process was improved by using enzymes produced via solid-state fermentation of wheat bran in shake flasks. However, the scale-up of the solid-state fermentation is a complex task. In this study, amylase was produced in a home-designed tray bioreactor which allowed to carry out the hydrolysis and fermentation steps at the pilot scale. Due to the efficiency of the solid-state fermentation and the activity of the enzyme, only a small amount (100 g) of wheat bran was required to achieve high yields in a hydrolysis in a 72 L bioreactor (50 L working volume). Overall, the lactic acid yield was 0.68 gLA/gdS, and after the purification, the lactic acid recovered was 55 %, with a total ion concentration of 500 mg/L and an enantiomeric purity of 98.1 % L-LA.
Keywords: Aspergillus awamori; Bacillus coagulans; Circular bioeconomy; Enzymatic hydrolysis; Pilot scale.
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