Bacterial isolation for efficient 2,3 butanediol production from glycerol waste discharged from bio-diesel processing

Glycerol waste generated from biodiesel production is a major by-product in the biodiesel process. This study aims to demonstrate the effective use of bacterial isolation isolated from natural sources as a biocatalyst to convert 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) using crude glycerol as a sole carbon source. We report the microorganisms converting glycerol to 2,3-BD using F1, F2, and F3 isolates, and all three isolates were tested to produce 2,3-BD from glycerol waste and MA medium. The 2,3-BD was produced in a batch experiment with an initial glycerol concentration of 15 g/L, an incubator temperature of 37 °c, and shaking at 150 rpm for 24 hours. The results showed that the isolate F3 was capable of 2,3-butanediol production of 0.35 g/L and achieved that highest OD₆₀₀ reading of 0.851 after 24 hours.