Recent advances in ABE fermentation: hyper-butanol producing Clostridium beijerinckii BA101.
This is an overview of the mutant strain Clostridium beijerinckii BA101 which produces solvents (acetone-butanol-ethanol, ABE) at elevated levels. This organism expresses high levels of amylases when grown on starch. C. beijerinckii BA101 hydrolyzes starch effectively and produces solvent in the concentration range of 27-29 g x l(-1). C. beijerinckii BA101 has been characterized for both substrate and butanol inhibition. Supplementing the fermentation medium (MP2) with sodium acetate enhances solvent production to 33 g x l(-1). The results of studies utilizing commercial fermentation medium and pilot plant-scale reactors are consistent with the results using small-scale reactors. Pervaporation, a technique to recover solvents, has been applied to fed-batch reactors containing C. beijerinckii BA101, and solvent production as high as 165 g x l(-1) has been achieved. Immobilization of C. beijerinckii BA101 by adsorption and use in a continuous reactor resulted in reactor productivity of 15.8 g x l(-1) x h(-1). Recent economic studies employing C. beijerinckii BA101 suggested that butanol can be produced at US$0.20-0.25 x lb(-1) by employing batch fermentation and distillative recovery. Application of new technologies such as pervaporation, fed-batch culture, and immobilized cell reactors is expected to further reduce these prices.
Qureshi
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Biotechnology and Bioengineering Group, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, 1207 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Blaschek
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HP
D000096:Acetone / Q000378:metabolism; D000440:Butanols / Q000378:metabolism*; D003013:Clostridium / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003470:Culture Media; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D009154:Mutation; D012997:Solvents / Q000378:metabolism; D013213:Starch / Q000378:metabolism; D014835:Volatilization; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry
D000440:Butanols; D003470:Culture Media; D012997:Solvents; D000096:Acetone; D000431:Ethanol; D013213:Starch