Separation of Itaconic Acid from Aqueous Solution onto Ion-Exchange Resins

Abstract

Itaconic acid (IA) is an unsaturated diacid, a promising compound that might replace part of the petrochemical-based monomers, such as acrylic acid, as a building block for polymers. Recent developments in biotechnology allow the efficient production of IA through fermentation processes. However, further enhancements are necessary in the downstream (recovery) of the product. This investigation examined the separation of IA by adsorption from aqueous solutions, using two types of commercial, strongly basic ion-exchange resins: Purolite A-500P and PFA-300. To evaluate the separation process, the following parameters were tested: pH (from 3.03 to 6.33), temperature (from 10 to 50 °C), and IA concentration (from 0.41 to 6.50 g·L–1). The Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were shown to be good fits to the experimental data, and the adsorption kinetics for IA was found to follow a pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. After batch tests, continuous adsorption experiments were carried out using a fixed bed column, and a simplified mathematical model was developed and evaluated in order to determine the adsorption parameters. The experimental data obtained from the column tests were aligned with those obtained from the isotherms and batch simulations with PSO. The resin PFA-300 proved to be more efficient for IA recovery through adsorption, with a maximum capacity of 0.154 gIA.gresin –1 when compared to the resin A-500P, with a maximum capacity of 0.097 gIA.gresin –1. Both resins have high affinity for the solute, being half-saturated with equilibrium concentrations below 0.25 g·L–1 of acid.

Screening of sorbents for recovery of succinic and itaconic acid from fermentation broths

“…). At pH 2.5 to 3, static sorption capacities up to 0.1 g acid g ‐1 wet resin or sorbent (or up to 0.4 g acid g ‐1 dry product) were determined, in line with other reported work on succinic and itaconic acid . Confirming the work of Li et al ., the weak base products with an acrylic or polystyrene matrix exhibited higher adsorption capacities than the others.…”

“…The wetted material was used in the tests. All results are expressed per g wet weight unless otherwise specified . To determine the water content, a freshly hydrated sample obtained through the procedure described above was dewatered by filtration and then dried at 105 °C for 24 h. It should thus be noted that this is not directly related to the moisture holding capacity which is sometimes provided by the supplier for the shipped material.…”

“…The data were fitted according to the models of Langmuir and Freundlich. The linearized forms of the Langmuir (Equation ) and Freundlich isotherm (Equation ) used, were: with C the equilibrium concentration of the organic acid in the liquid phase (mmol L ‐1 ), q the solid‐phase concentration at equilibrium and q s the saturation capacity (both in g g ‐1 wet resin), K L the Langmuir equilibrium constant (L mmol ‐1 ) related to the affinity of the solute to the resin. with K F and n temperature‐dependent constants for a specific solute and sorbent.…”

“…In contrast, literature on the potential of sorption for itaconic acid recovery is scarce. To the best of our knowledge, there are only two reports, focusing either on sorption onto alumina or on two strong base resins . The regeneration step is not addressed.…”

Emerging biotechnologies for production of itaconic acid and its applications as a platform chemical

“…Typical industrial process uses a combination of evaporation, centrifugation, and crystallization to recover IA [67]. Magalhaes et al [62] investigated the separation of IA by adsorption from aqueous solution, using two types of commercial strongly basic ion-exchange resins-Purolite A-500P and PFA-300. The results showed that the IA absorption isotherms can be well described with both the Freundlich and Langmuir models and the adsorption kinetics for IA was found to follow a pseudo-second order model.…”