Glycerol Conversion by a Psychrotolerant Bacteria from Spitsbergen

Biodiesel is an alternative source of energy, which is in high demand. Glycerol is the main by-product of biodiesel production (up to 10%) via the transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats. Increased scientific and commercial interest in the development of viable biorefining strategies to convert renewable raw materials into biofuels, platform chemicals and biodegradable plastics is driven by environmental concerns, depleting petroleum resources and public awareness. This has drawn attention among the scientists towards the importance of finding new applications for this by-product in order to make biodiesel become a truly sustainable fuel. The project focuses on glycerol dehydrogenase, a key enzyme for the effective utilization of glycerol. This work was carried out in the Institute of Technical Microbiology (TUHH) under the supervision of Prof.Dr.Antranikian.