Integrated process for scalable bioproduction of glycolic acid from cell catalysis of ethylene glycol

Glycolic acid (GA) is presently booming as a versatile raw material in the fields of high-grade cosmetics, polymer degradable materials, and drug production. The biocatalysis of ethylene glycol (EG) to GA is promising, with environmentally friendly benefits, while the effective and straight bioproduction of GA qualified for polymer synthesis purity is a challenge. In this study, we combine whole cell catalysis step and acidification-purification step. A compressed oxygen supply in the sealed aerated stirred tank reaction (COS-SSTR) and a weak basic anion-exchange resins were integrated to develop an efficient process of GA bioproduction from EG. Finally, 110.5 g/L of GA was obtained at the yield of 94.4% and the volume productivity of 2.3 g/L/h in 48 h that presently is the greatest level for GA bioproduction. After 335 resins treatment of 5.0 L catalyzed broth containing 497.2 g EG, we obtained 575.4 g GA at the recovery rate of 98.9%.