Avances en reciclaje y gestión de residuos

Municipal Solid Waste as Carbon and Energy Source for Escherichia coli

Abstract

Erica Rosander, Maria Svedendahl Humble* and Andres Veide*

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is an attractive renewable carbohydrate resource. MSW has a naturally high carbohydrate content that can be utilized as a carbon and energy source for bacterial cultivation. There is industrial interest in implementing MSW as a sustainable cultivation medium for biological production in biorefinery platforms. The present study investigated the potential of MSW as a carbon and energy source for Escherichia coli. For this purpose, MSW was initially fractionated and processed to yield a liquid (LMSW) and a dry solid fraction (DSMSW). In contrast to DSMSW, the liquid fraction had a natural high sugar content of 21 g L-1. By further applying enzymecatalyzed hydrolysis to DSMSW, a hydrolyzate concentration of 114 g L-1 was achieved. The two MSW fractions were evaluated separately as carbon and energy sources for E. coli in batch and fed-batch cultivations.