Background: 1,3-Propanodiol (1,3-PD), is used in the production of polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), an
aromatic polyester that exhibits high elastic recoveries. It is also employed as a supplementwith lowsolidification
properties, a solvent and a lubricant in the formof propylene glycol. 1,3-PD is effectively synthesized by a
microbiological way from crude glycerol. The main problem of this technology is using a high concentration of
glycerol, which is a limiting factor for bacteria cells growth (especially in batch fermentation).
Results: In this work, the influence of different glycerol concentration in batch fermentation on
Clostridium butyricum
DSP1 metabolism was investigated. The biomass was concentrated for two times with the use of
membrane module (in case of increasing kinetic parameters). Increased optical density of bacteria cells six
times increased the productivity of 1,3-PD in cultivation with 20 g/L of glycerol at the beginning of the process,
and more than two times in cultivation with 60–80 g/L. Also the possibility of complete attenuation of 140 g/L
of crude glycerol in the batch fermentation was investigated. During the cultivation, changes of protein profiles
were analyzed. The most significant changes were observed in the cultivation in the medium supplemented
with 80 g/L of glycerol. They related mainly to the DNA protein reconstructive systems, protective proteins
(HSP), and also the enzymatic catalysts connected with glycerol metabolic pathway.
Conclusions: The application of filtration module in batch fermentation of crude glycerol by
C. butyricum
DSP1 significantly increased the productivity of the process.
