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• Li, C
• Lesnik, KL.
• Liu, H
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• Lesnik, KL.
• Liu, H
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• Lesnik, KL.
• Liu, H

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Energies 2013, 6(9), 4739-4768; doi:10.3390/en6094739

Review

Microbial Conversion of Waste Glycerol from Biodiesel Production into Value-Added Products

Cheng Li, Keaton L. Lesnik and Hong Liu *

Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, 116 Gilmore Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 6 June 2013; in revised form: 19 July 2013 / Accepted: 4 September 2013 / Published: 10 September 2013

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Biofuels 2013)

Download PDF Full-Text [566 KB, uploaded 10 September 2013 11:15 CEST]

Abstract: Biodiesel has gained a significant amount of attention over the past decade as an environmentally friendly fuel that is capable of being utilized by a conventional diesel engine. However, the biodiesel production process generates glycerol-containing waste streams which have become a disposal issue for biodiesel plants and generated a surplus of glycerol. A value-added opportunity is needed in order to compensate for disposal-associated costs. Microbial conversions from glycerol to valuable chemicals performed by various bacteria, yeast, fungi, and microalgae are discussed in this review paper, as well as the possibility of extending these conversions to microbial electrochemical technologies.

Keywords: biodiesel waste glycerol; microbial conversion; 1,3-propanediol; ethanol; lactic acid; hydrogen; citric acid; microbial electrochemical technologies

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