Abstract
D-lactic acid production from dry biomass of the microalga, Hydrodictyon reticulatum, was carried out in a 5-l jar fermentor (initial pH 6, 34 °C using CaCO(3) as a neutralizing agent) through simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation using the Lactobacillus coryniformis subsp. torquens. After 36 h, 36.6 g lactic acid/l was produced from 80 g H. reticulatum/l in the medium containing 3 g yeast extract/l and 3 g peptone/l in the absence of mineral salts. The maximum productivity, average productivity and yield were 2.38 g/l h, 1.02 g/l h and 45.8 %, respectively. The optical purity of D-Lactic acid ranged from 95.8-99.6 %. H. reticulatum is thus a promising biomass material for the production of D-Lactic acid.