Effect of span 20 concentration on oxalic acid production from post-refining fatty acids by Aspergillus niger XP

Submerged fermentation experiments were carried out to study the stimulating effects of the surfactant Span 20 on the growth of Aspergillus niger XP mutant and oxalic acid production from the post-refining fatty acids. Span 20 concentration of 0.75 g dm⁻³ was found to be the most suitable for oxalic acid production from fatty acids. Using this dose and a fermentation medium containing 30 g dm⁻³ of post-refining fatty acids, the oxalic acid production, oxalate yield, and overall oxalate productivity were the highest. Presented at the 33rd International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 22–26 May 2006.