Aim:
Mixed culture anaerobic fermentation (AF) is relatively new compared to anaerobic digestion (AD), although they are sometimes linked in terms of process and biochemistry. Recovery of organic products including fatty acids is the core task for AF, and it also offers potential for plant nutrient recovery at the same time.
One of the key processes to unlock the potential of AF as an environmental biotechnology, and a pillar of the circular bioeconomy, is direct product recovery from fermentation broth. This is extremely important to achieve steady-state continuous operation, in contrast to the over-exploited batch experiments. This aspect closely matches EBNet’s professed interest in the interaction between the biological system and its engineering envelope. Product-induced feedback inhibition could also be explored for continuous operation, to produce longer chain acids which are more valuable and easier to recover, rather than acetic acid. Feedstock characteristics also affect the product composition, and if the proposed group is interested in upstream processes and materials there is also potential to interact with BBNet. AF thus has upstream, central and downstream aspects: if we would like to see it adopted, then all of these components must work together.
This WG will therefore promote the integration of the different elements within the anaerobic fermentation process and system in order to maximise resource recovery and at the same time minimise the use of external inputs and the generation of waste materials.
Working Group Co-ordinators
Dr Yue Zhang is an Associate Professor at the University of Southampton. Her research interests include anaerobic digestion, CO2 biomethanisation and mixed-culture fermentation for bio-based chemical production with integration of downstream recovery processes, especially on selective carboxylic acid production from protein-rich wastes.
Dr Luca Alibardi is Lecturer in Separation Processes at the Water Science Institute of Cranfield University. His research interests focus on systems integration and on the development of separation technologies to lead on the transition towards the circular and hydrogen economies. He developed knowledge in the field of biological hydrogen production from organic waste via the dark fermentation process and in the definition of dark fermentation as a key step in biorefinery schemes for energy and products recovery from wastewater and waste treatments.
Interested?
Contact the Working Group co-ordinators: y.zhang@soton.ac.uk & l.alibardi@cranfield.ac.uk.
Events and Activities
WEBINAR: Mixed-Culture Anaerobic Fermentation in the EU: updates from HORIZON 2020 projects on biowaste-derived volatile fatty acid platform, 4 March 2025 1-2pm (UK)
Keeping you up-to-date with pioneering work in Europe, these speakers will cover the HORIZON 2020 projects VOLATILE/CAFIPLA, developments in Standardisation, and insights from Pilot Scale research. Don’t miss it! Find the TEAMs link below or register via Eventbrite now.
TALKS
- Volatile Fatty Acid Platform – from biowaste treatment towards upcycling (Thomas Dietrich, TECNALIA).
- CEN Workshop agreement CWA 17484: 2020 – Anaerobic digestion plants – Feasibility assessment methodology for integrating a Volatile Fatty Acid Platform Technology (Dr Jochen Michels, DECHEMA).
- Experiences in Operating a Volatile Fatty Acid Pilot from the industry perspective (Dr Marie-Aline Pierrard, IDELUX)
Featuring:
- Thomas Dietrich, TECNALIA. Thomas Dietrich holds an engineering degree in biotechnology and works as project manager at TECNALIA Research & Innovation (Spain). He has long-standing experiences in biomass valorisation and biorefinery concepts and coordinated several EU funded research projects in this area since FP6, including VOLATILE (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/720777) and CAFIPLA (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/887115), with volatile fatty acids produced by mixed-culture anaerobic fermentation being an essential biorefinery platform.
- Jochen Michels, DECHEMA. Jochen Michels has more than 30 years of experience in project coordination in the field of renewable resources, biorefineries, bioeconomy and biobased products. Currently he works at DECHEMA e.V. (Germany). https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochenmichels/?originalSubdomain=de
He is also strongly involved / contact person of the project BioBall – Bioeconomy in the Metropolitan Area. https://urban-bioeconomy.de/bioball/home_en.html - Marie-Aline Pierrard, DELUX. Marie-Aline Pierrard has a Master of Biological Science with a specialization in ecology of fresh water and a Doctor (PhD) in Biological Sciences, Environmental Toxicology, both at Namur University. Additionally, she holds a post-Doc from the Luxembourg Institute of Health. Currently, she is working as project manager at IDELUX Environnement, a waste treatment facility operating an anaerobic digestion plant and composting facility in Belgium.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-aline-pierrard-8116064b/?originalSubdomain=be
Marie-Aline operated the CAFIPLA pilot under very adverse environmental conditions and gained a lot of experiences under pilot conditions of a VFA platform.
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Join us 0ver 3-7 March 2025 for more webinars during #EnvBiotechAware week.
Past events
Joint EBNet/BBNet Workshop on Mixed Culture Anaerobic Fermentation – 23/24/January 2025, Birmingham, in person. This event was invitation-only.
The Anaerobic Fermentation Animation. This EBNet animation explains the concept behind anaerobic fermentation for resource recovery from waste. Find it on YouTube HERE.
Interesting Publications
Organic waste biorefineries: Looking towards implementation By: Luca Alibardi et al. In: Waste Management. Volume 114, 1 August 2020, Pages 274-286
Production of volatile fatty acids from slaughterhouse blood by mixed-culture fermentation By: Plácido, Jersson and Zhang, Yue (2018). In: Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 8 (3), 621-634.