Synchronized extraction and purification of L-lactic acid from fermentation broth by emulsion liquid membrane technique

This study aims to investigate the recovery of L-lactic acid from fermentation broth by an emulsion liquid membrane (ELM), made up of sunflower oil as the diluent, Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) as the surfactant, Aliquat 336 as the carrier, and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution as the internal aqueous phase. Particularly, the ELM process was properly set up, through the identification of the optimal ELM operating parameters on the final extraction efficiency of L-lactic acid, including Span 80 concentration, NaOH concentration, Aliquat 336 concentration, stirring speed, phase ratio, and treatment ratio. The obtained results showed that the extraction efficiency of L-lactic acid reached up to 99% under the following optimal conditions: 10 minutes after contact time, 4% w/w Span 80, 3% w/w Aliquat 336, 0.1 N solution of NaOH, stirring speed of 300 rpm, phase ratio 1, and treatment ratio 0.25. A stable system without considerable emulsion swelling and breakage was monitored using a dynamic light scattering (DLS) apparatus for the selected optimal ELM operating parameters.