New Technologies for Industrial Production of Succinic Acid

Member: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Project Dates: 2021 – 2024

The goal of this project is to develop new innovative technologies and strategies for large-scale fermentative production of succinic acid and demonstrate the feasibility of bioindustrial manufacturing of succinic acid on a pilot-scale. 

Despite decades of intensive efforts, fermentative production of succinic acid on an industrial scale remains a challenge. One major bottleneck is the high cost of purification that accounts for more than 60% of the total cost of the whole process. One promising strategy to address this bottleneck is to produce succinic acid below pH 3, which can dramatically reduce the number of unit operations in downstream processing and minimize yield losses and investment costs.  

Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense

Webinar: Watch the recording here.