title: Microbial synthesis gas utilization and ways to resolve kinetic and mass-transfer limitations.
abstract: Microbial conversion of syngas to energy-dense biofuels and valuable chemicals is a potential technology for the efficient utilization of fossils (e.g., coal) and renewable resources (e.g., lignocellulosic biomass) in an environmentally friendly manner. However, gas-liquid mass transfer and kinetic limitations are still major constraints that limit the widespread adoption and successful commercialization of the technology. This review paper provides rationales for syngas bioconversion and summarizes the reaction limited conditions along with the possible strategies to overcome these challenges. Mass transfer and economic performances of various reactor configurations are compared, and an ideal case for optimum bioreactor operation is presented. Overall, the challenges with the bioprocessing steps are highlighted, and potential solutions are suggested. Future research directions are provided and a conceptual design for a membrane-based syngas biorefinery is proposed.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasin
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yeseul
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Shinyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jiyeong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Yeol
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lovitt
authors.affiliation: Fuel Cell Institute, National University of Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Byung Hong
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jinwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ischang@gist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: In Seop
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D056804:Biofuels; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D005285:Fermentation; D005740:Gases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005740:Gases
keywords: Acetogens; C1 biorefinery; Hollow fiber membrane bioreactor; Mass transfer limitations; Syngas fermentation