Gate-to-gate life cycle assessment of biosurfactants and bioplasticizers production via biotechnological exploitation of fats and waste oils

BACKGROUNDThis study investigated the biotransformation of fats and waste oils to glycolipid biosurfactants and bioplasticizers. The ecological performance and environmental impacts of the bioprocesses were evaluated aiming to assess their present environmental status and thus suggest future improvements using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. RESULTSBiosurfactants, namely rhamnolipids and sophorolipids, were obtained via fermentation. Bioplasticizers, fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) and monoglycerides (MAG), were developed via enzymatic catalysis with selected enzymes in mesophilic temperatures via ethanolysis and glycerolysis, respectively. The study revealed that air emissions, electricity and thermal energy requirements are the key contributors to the potential environmental impacts in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). More specifically, rhamnolipids production has less energetic needs compared with sophorolipids manufacturing, resulting in lower environmental impacts. The increased thermal requirements of the MAG production phase is the main contributor to their negative environmental performance, with the overall energy consumption for MAG production being 3-fold higher than for the FAEE formation phase. CONCLUSIONSThe assessment identified that among the biosurfactant production processes, sophorolipids production resulted in 22.7% higher environmental impact compared with rhamnolipids. Similarly, FAEE production can be classified as a more environment- friendly process compared with MAG, resulting in 67% lower environmental impact based on the environmental indicators assessed. (c) 2018 Society of Chemical Industry