Bioconversion of agro-wastes into acetone butanol

An updated review on advancement in fermentative production strategies for biobutanol using Clostridium spp

A significant concern of our fuel-dependent era is the unceasing exhaustion of petroleum fuel supplies. In parallel to this, environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect, change in global climate, and increasing global temperature must be addressed on a priority basis. Biobutanol, which has fuel characteristics comparable to gasoline, has attracted global attention as a viable green fuel alternative among the many biofuel alternatives. Renewable biomass could be used for the sustainable production of biobutanol by the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) pathway. Non-extinguishable resources, such as algal and lignocellulosic biomass, and starch are some of the most commonly used feedstock for fermentative production of biobutanol, and each has its particular set of advantages. Clostridium, a gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium that can produce a range of compounds, along with n-butanol is traditionally known for its biobutanol production capabilities. Clostridium fermentation produces biobased n-butanol through ABE fermentation. However, low butanol titer, a lack of suitable feedstock, and product inhibition are the primary difficulties in biobutanol synthesis. Critical issues that are essential for sustainable production of biobutanol include (i) developing high butanol titer producing strains utilizing genetic and metabolic engineering approaches, (ii) renewable biomass that could be used for biobutanol production at a larger scale, and (iii) addressing the limits of traditional batch fermentation by integrated bioprocessing technologies with effective product recovery procedures that have increased the efficiency of biobutanol synthesis. Our paper reviews the current progress in all three aspects of butanol production and presents recent data on current practices in fermentative biobutanol production technology.

Industrial potato peel as a feedstock for biobutanol production

Potato peel from a snack factory was assessed as possible feedstock for biobutanol production. This lignocellulosic biomass was subjected to various physicochemical pretreatments (autohydrolysis and hydrolysis with dilute acids, alkalis, organic solvents or surfactants) under different conditions of time, temperature and reagent concentrations, in order to favour the release of sugars and reduce the generation of fermentation inhibitors. Thereafter, the pretreated potato peel was treated enzymatically to complete the hydrolysis. Autohydrolysis at 140 °C and 56 min was the most effective pretreatment, releasing 37.9 ± 2.99 g/L sugars from an aqueous mixture containing 10% (w/w) potato peel (sugar recovery efficiency 55 ± 13%). The fermentability of the hydrolysates was checked with six strains of Clostridium beijerinckii, C. acetobutylicum, C. saccharobutylicum and C. saccaroperbutylacetonicum. C. saccharobutylicum DSM 13864 produced 2.1 g/L acetone, 7.6 g/L butanol and 0.6 g/L ethanol in 96 h (0.186 g_B/g_S), whereas C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum DSM 2152 generated 1.8 g/L acetone, 8.1 g/L butanol and 1.0 g/L ethanol in 120 h (0.203 g_B/g_S). Detoxification steps of the hydrolysate before fermentation were not necessary. Potato peel may be an interesting feedstock for biorefineries focused on butanol production.

Organosolv pretreatment of rice straw for efficient acetone, butanol, and ethanol production

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) was produced from rice straw using a process containing ethanol organosolv pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum bacterium. Pretreatment of the straw with 75% (v/v) aqueous ethanol containing 1% w/w sulfuric acid at 150 °C for 60 min resulted in the highest total sugar concentration of 31 g/L in the enzymatic hydrolysis. However, the highest ABE concentration and productivity (10.5 g/L and 0.20 g/Lh, respectively) were obtained from the straw pretreated at 180 °C for 30 min. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the straw pretreated at 180 °C for 30 min with 5% solid loading resulted in glucose yield of 46.2%, which was then fermented to 80.3 g butanol, 21.1 g acetone, and 22.5 g ethanol, the highest overall yield of ABE production. Thus, the organosolv pretreatment can be applied for efficient production of the solvents from rice straw.

Biobutanol production from rice straw by a non acetone producing Clostridium sporogenes BE01

Biobutanol from lignocellulosic biomass has gained much attention due to several advantages over bioethanol. Though microbial production of butanol through ABE fermentation is an established technology, the use of lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock presents several challenges. In the present study, biobutanol production from enzymatic hydrolysate of acid pretreated rice straw was evaluated using Clostridium sporogenes BE01. This strain gave a butanol yield of 3.43 g/l and a total solvent yield of 5.32 g/l in rice straw hydrolysate supplemented with calcium carbonate and yeast extract. Hydrolysate was analyzed for the level of inhibitors such as acetic acid, formic acid and furfurals which affect the growth of the organism and in turn ABE fermentation. Methods for preconditioning the hydrolysate to remove toxic end products were done so as to improve the fermentation efficiency. Conditions of ABE fermentation were fine tuned resulting in an enhanced biobutanol reaching 5.52 g/l.

Butanol production by Clostridium beijerinckii. Part I: use of acid and enzyme hydrolyzed corn fiber

Fermentation of sulfuric acid treated corn fiber hydrolysate (SACFH) inhibited cell growth and butanol production (1.7+/-0.2g/L acetone butanol ethanol or ABE) by Clostridium beijerinckii BA101. Treatment of SACFH with XAD-4 resin removed some of the inhibitors resulting in the production of 9.3+/-0.5 g/L ABE and a yield of 0.39+/-0.015. Fermentation of enzyme treated corn fiber hydrolysate (ETCFH) did not reveal any cell inhibition and resulted in the production of 8.6+/-1.0 g/L ABE and used 24.6g/L total sugars. ABE production from fermentation of 25 g/L glucose and 25 g/L xylose was 9.9+/-0.4 and 9.6+/-0.4 g/L, respectively, suggesting that the culture was able to utilize xylose as efficiently as glucose. Production of only 9.3+/-0.5 g/L ABE (compared with 17.7 g/L ABE from fermentation of 55 g/L glucose-control) from the XAD-4 treated SACFH suggested that some fermentation inhibitors may still be present following treatment. It is suggested that inhibitory components be completely removed from the SACFH prior to fermentation with C. beijerinckii BA101. In our fermentations, an ABE yield ranging from 0.35 to 0.39 was obtained, which is higher than reported by the other investigators.

Acetone-butanol fermentation and its variants

Recent intensive research on the acetone-butanol-ethanol and the isopropanol-butanol-ethanol fermentation has increased the basic understanding of these processes substantially. Metabolic investigations on Clostridium acetobutylicum, and Clostridium beijerinkii show that enzyme activities necessary for solvent production are induced only in solvent-producing cells. Although produced, or added, acetic and butyric acid have significant effects on the metabolic activities, the transition from acid to solvent production cannot as yet be fully explained. Based on studies in continuous cultures, the kinetics of product formation can be described. Knowledge of the mechanism of butanol toxicity is accumulating but no dramatic increase in butanol tolerance has so far been obtained. Successful results, approaching the limitations determined by biological and technological possibilities, have been obtained in batch and continuous cultures, and in continuous processes based on immobilized cells. Continuous processes are superior to batch cultures in respect of their productivity.

Fuels and industrial chemicals

The favorite subject of recent literature on biotechnical processes has been ethanol fermentation. This review covers a number of new technics developed, including immobilized biocatalyst technology and bacterial fermentations. Reference is also made to recent work on whey, starch, inulin, and cellulosic materials as substrates for ethanol production. Renewed interest in acetonebutanol fermentation for solvent and liquid fuel production has also been clearly evident during the last two years. Biotechnical production of organic acids has been considered as an alternative route to chemical feedstocks. New developments in amino acid, methane, hydrogen, and hydrocarbon production, and on hydrocarbon oxidation are also briefly covered.