Production of succinic acid from Basfia succiniciproducens up to the pilot scale from Arundo donax hydrolysate

•B. succiniciproducens BPP7 has a yield of 0.75 mol/mol of succinic acid on Arundo donax hydrolysate.•Titer, yield and productivity are conserved up to the pilot scale.•Initial acetic acid concentration in the medium is crucial to improve productivity.•B. succiniciproducens BPP7 adapts to up to 12 g/L acetic acid overcoming inhibition.

In the present work the recently isolated strain Basfia succiniciproducens BPP7 was evaluated for the production of succinic acid up to the pilot fermentation scale in separate hydrolysis and fermentation experiments on Arundo donax, a non-food dedicated energy crop. An average concentration of about 17 g/L of succinic acid and a yield on consumed sugars of 0.75 mol/mol were obtained demonstrating strain potential for further process improvement. Small scale experiments indicated that the concentration of acetic acid in the medium is crucial to improve productivity; on the other hand, interestingly, short-term (24 h) adaptation to higher acetic acid concentrations, and strain recovery, were also observed.