Evaluation of solid phase extraction for downstream separation of propane-1,3-diol and butan-1-ol from fermentation broth

Today, glycerol is mainly a by-product of fat splitting and biodiesel production. This study examined the use of chemically modified silica gels for downstream separation of propane-1,3-diol and butan-1-ol from fermentation broths obtained through the glycerol fermentation process. The developed method was found to be simple and efficient for the isolation and purification of butan-1-ol from the other components in the fermentation mixture. However, in the case of the separation of propane-1,3-diol from fermentation broth, the silica gel sorbents were ineffective.

► The study is based on the actual fermentation broths.
► The influence of cell debris, proteins and nutrients is reflected in the results.
► The most promising modified silica gels are selected for butanol separation.
► The separation of PDO by modified silica gels was excluded.
► The composition of glycerol based fermentation broths was presented.