PURAC Biochem B.V.

A method for processing a lactide feed to form lactide streams with high configurational and chemical purity, comprising the steps of subjecting a feed comprising L-lactide, meso-lactide, water, lactic acid, and optional further components to a first separation step, resulting in a stream comprising lactic acid and water and one or more crude lactide streams, subjecting a crude lactide stream comprising L-lactide and meso-lactide resulting from the first separation step to a first crystallisation step, resulting in a purified L-lactide stream and a remnant stream comprising L-lactide and meso-lactide, subjecting the remnant stream comprising L-lactide and meso-lactide resulting from the first crystallisation step to a second separation step, resulting in at least a second L-lactide stream and a meso-lactide stream, and subjecting the meso-lactide stream resulting from the second separation step to a second crystallisation step, resulting in a purified meso-lactide stream and a further remnant stream.

A process for converting magnesium chloride into magnesium oxide having the steps of: subjecting a magnesium chloride solution to a spray drying step in a spray-drying apparatus at a temperature of 300-475° C., resulting in the formation of a spray-dried product having 10-80 wt. % magnesium oxide and 20-90 wt. % of the total of magnesium hydroxychloride and magnesium chloride, subjecting the product of the spray drying step to a roasting step in a roaster at a temperature of 600-900° C. in the presence of water, resulting in the formation of a product having at least 98 wt. % of MgO, and less than 2 wt. % of the total of magnesium hydroxychloride and magnesium chloride, wherein the percentages of MgO, magnesium hydroxychloride and magnesium chloride, are calculated on the total of MgO, magnesium hydroxychloride and magnesium chloride.

The present invention relates to a particulate composition having a volume weighted average diameter D 4,3 of 20-180 μm and comprising at least 50 wt. % of malate particles, said malate particles comprising at least 70 wt. % of co-crystal of malic acid and alkali metal hydrogen malate. The particulate composition is advantageously applied in or onto confectionery products.

The present invention provides a process for the production of an organic acid from an aqueous medium of a monovalent salt of an organic acid using bipolar electrodialysis via a two compartment electrodialysis unit.

The invention pertains to a process for removing lactide from a vapour stream comprising lactide and water, comprising the steps of ⋅subjecting a vapour stream comprising lactide and water to a condensation-reaction step in a condensation-reaction apparatus, wherein the vapour stream comprising lactide and water is contacted with a reaction liquid comprising lactic acid, the condensation reaction step being carried out under such conditions that at least 80% of the lactide present in the vapour stream provided to the condensation-reaction step is absorbed in the reaction liquid and at most 40% of the water present in the vapour stream provided to the condensation-reaction step is absorbed in the reaction liquid, wherein the residence time in the condensation step is at least 2 hours, the residence time being defined as the total mass of reaction liquid divided by the mass of the product condensing from the vapor stream containing lactide and water per hour, ⋅withdrawing a liquid effluent from the condensation-reaction step, which liquid effluent comprises less than 15 wt. % lactide and less than 30 wt. % of water, the effluent having a total acid content of at least 72 wt. %. ⋅withdrawing a steam effluent from the condensation-reaction step, and providing the steam effluent to a further condensation reaction in a further condensation apparatus to form a condensate comprising water. The present invention provides a robust and efficient process and system for removing lactide from a lactide-containing gas stream and recovering said lactide in a processable form. The process of the invention is able to handle feedstock with varying compositions and has a limited demand on energy and apparatus.

The present invention provides a process for manufacturing a lactate solution which results in an economically attractive process of producing lactic acid when the lactate solution is subjected to water-splitting electrodialysis, solid-state magnesium lactate or an aqueous magnesium lactate suspension is reacted with KOH to form a first suspension of solid magnesium hydroxide in a first potassium lactate solution comprising magnesium ions, the amount of excess OH ions in the first suspension being in the range of 20-150 ppm. After solid-liquid separation, the first potassium lactate solution is subjected to a further reaction with KOH to form a second suspension of solid magnesium hydroxide in a second potassium lactate 10 solution, the amount of excess OH ions in the second suspension being above 300 ppm. The second suspension is separated, and the second potassium lactate solution has a magnesium ion content of less than 50 ppm.

The present invention provides a process for the production of an organic acid from an aqueous medium of a monovalent salt of an organic acid using bipolar electrodialysis via a three compartment electrodialysis unit.

The present invention provides a fermentation-produced propionate powder comprising 25-60 wt. % propionic acid equivalent, 3-16 wt. % acetic acid equivalent, 2-12 wt % succinic acid equivalent, 0.1-0.8 mol Ca 2+ per mol of propionate, 0-1.0 mol Na + per mol of propionate, and 0-1.0 mol K + per mol of propionate. Methods of preparing a food or cosmetic product containing the fermentation-produced propionate powder are also provided.

The present invention provides a dried fermentate that comprises, per kg of dry, matter: 4.7-8.1 mol of propionate; 1.2-3.0 mol of calcium cation; 2.4-7.8 mol of alkali metal cation selected from sodium, potassium and combinations thereof; and 1-50 grams glucose equivalent of hydrolysed glucan; calcium cation and propionate being present in the dried fermentate in a molar ratio of 0.2 to 0.6. Methods of producing the dried fermentate are also provided.

The invention pertains to a composite material, comprising a plurality of compatible glass fibers in a thermoplastic polymer matrix, wherein the glass fibers and the polymer matrix are biocompatible and resorbable. The invention further pertains to a method for obtaining a solid polymer composite material comprising a plurality of biocompatible and resorbable glass fibers, which are embedded in a biocompatible and resorbable matrix polymer, wherein the matrix polymer is applied from solution and the solvent of said solution is at least partially removed using an anti-solvent.