Anaerobic fermentation of glycerol: a path to economic viability for the biofuels industry

Although biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol represent a secure, renewable and environmentally safe alternative to fossil fuels, their economic viability is a major concern. The implementation of biorefineries that co-produce higher value products along with biofuels has been proposed as a solution to this problem. The biorefinery model would be especially advantageous if the conversion of byproducts or waste streams generated during biofuel production were considered. Glycerol-rich streams generated in large amounts by the biofuels industry, especially during the production of biodiesel, present an excellent opportunity to establish biorefineries. Once considered a valuable 'co-product', crude glycerol is rapidly becoming a 'waste product' with a disposal cost attributed to it. Given the highly reduced nature of carbon in glycerol and the cost advantage of anaerobic processes, fermentative metabolism of glycerol is of special interest. This review covers the anaerobic fermentation of glycerol in microbes and the harnessing of this metabolic process to convert abundant and low-priced glycerol streams into higher value products, thus creating a path to viability for the biofuels industry. Special attention is given to products whose synthesis from glycerol would be advantageous when compared with their production from common sugars.     

Hydrogen production by Cyanobacteria

The limited fossil fuel prompts the prospecting of various unconventional energy sources to take over the traditional fossil fuel energy source. In this respect the use of hydrogen gas is an attractive alternate source. Attributed by its numerous advantages including those of environmentally clean, efficiency and renew ability, hydrogen gas is considered to be one of the most desired alternate. Cyanobacteria are highly promising microorganism for hydrogen production. In comparison to the traditional ways of hydrogen production (chemical, photoelectrical), Cyanobacterial hydrogen production is commercially viable. This review highlights the basic biology of cynobacterial hydrogen production, strains involved, large-scale hydrogen production and its future prospects. While integrating the existing knowledge and technology, much future improvement and progress is to be done before hydrogen is accepted as a commercial primary energy source.     

Integrated production for biodiesel and 1,3-propanediol with lipase-catalyzed transesterification and fermentation

Biodiesel, a renewable alternative to fossil energy, has shown great prospects for global proliferation in the past decade. Lipase catalyzed transesterification for biodiesel production, as a biological process with many advantages has drawn increasing attention. As a by-product, glycerol accounts for about 10% w/w of biodiesel during the process of biodiesel production. As a result, the conversion of glycerol has become a common problem which has to be resolved if considering large amount of biodiesel production. Glycerol can be fermented into 1,3-propanediol, a high value added chemical with a promising future in the polymers, for example, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and also fermentation approaches for 1,3-propanediol production which have drawn more and more attention due to advantages such as relatively low investment, mild reaction conditions and using renewable sources as the starting materials. Based on the latest technology advancements in lipase-mediated transformation for biodiesel production, the aerobic fermentation technology and genetic engineering for 1,3-propanediol production, and the integrated production of 1,3-propanediol from crude glycerol could be a promising way to improve the profit of the whole process during biodiesel production.     

Microbial utilization of crude glycerol for the production of value-added products

Energy fuels for transportation and electricity generation are mainly derived from finite and declining reserves of fossil hydrocarbons. Fossil hydrocarbons are also used to produce a wide range of organic carbon-based chemical products. The current global dependency on fossil hydrocarbons will not be environmentally or economically sustainable in the long term. Given the future pessimistic prospects regarding the complete dependency on fossil fuels, political and economic incentives to develop carbon neutral and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels have been increasing throughout the world. For example, interest in biodiesel has undergone a revival in recent times. However, the disposal of crude glycerol contaminated with methanol, salts, and free fatty acids as a by-product of biodiesel production presents an environmental and economic challenge. Although pure glycerol can be utilized in the cosmetics, tobacco, pharmaceutical, and food industries (among others), the industrial purification of crude glycerol is not economically viable. However, crude glycerol could be used as an organic carbon substrate for the production of high-value chemicals such as 1,3-propanediol, organic acids, or polyols. Microorganisms have been employed to produce such high-value chemicals and the objective of this article is to provide an overview of studies on the utilization of crude glycerol by microorganisms for the production of economically valuable products. Glycerol as a by-product of biodiesel production could be used a feedstock for the manufacture of many products that are currently produced by the petroleum-based chemical industry.     

Environmental and Socioeconomic Constraints to the Development of Freshwater Fish Aquaculture in China

In this article, we provide an overview, on freshwater fish aquaculture in P.R. China, with special emphasis on pond fish culture. We describe the history, ecology (trophic structure and species reared), and technological aspects (including inputs/outputs, yields, labor productivity, and fossil energy use) of freshwater fish production and analyze its role in relation to the socioeconomic context. We discuss the prospects for intensification of production. In China, freshwater fish aquaculture has always been closely linked to cultivation of crops and animal husbandry, that is, feed inputs are in the form of agricultural wastes. The close integration with the farming system at large results in an efficient use of nutrients, low environmental loading, and little dependence on fossil energy inputs. About 7 to 9 different fish species, mainly herbivores, are kept in the same pond and efforts are made to maintain as much as possible the natural mechanisms of matter regulation and energy flows within the pond ecosystem. However, ecological compatibility is paid for by relatively low productivity, both per hectare of waterbody and per hour of labor input. If the throughput of freshwater fish production per unit of area and labor are to be dramatically increased, the equilibrium of the traditional integrated system will be difficult to maintain.     

Bioconversion of Lignocellulose into Bioethanol: Process Intensification and Mechanism Research

Biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass can significantly reduce the energy dependency on fossil fuels and the resulting effects on environment. In this respect, cellulosic ethanol as an alternative fuel has the potential to become a viable energy source in the near future. Over the past few decades, tremendous effort has been undertaken to make cellulosic ethanol cost competitive with conventional fossil fuels. The pretreatment step is always necessary to deconstruct the recalcitrant structures and to make cellulose more accessible to enzymes. A large number of pretreatment technologies involving physical, chemical, biological, and combined approaches have been developed and tested at the pilot scale. Furthermore, various strategies and methods, including multi-enzyme complex, non-catalytic additives, enzyme recycling, high solids operation, design of novel bioreactors, and strain improvement have also been implemented to improve the efficiency of subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. These technologies provide significant opportunities for lower total cost, thus making large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol possible. Meanwhile, many researchers have focused on the key factors that limit cellulose hydrolysis, and analyzing the reaction mechanisms of cellulase. This review describes the most recent advances on process intensification and mechanism research of pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation during the production of cellulosic ethanol.     

Metabolic engineering for the optimization of hydrogen production in Escherichia coli: A review

Hydrogen is a potential sustainable energy source and it could become an alternative to fossil fuel combustion, thus helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The biological production of hydrogen, instead of its chemical synthesis, is a promising possibility since this process requires less energy and is more sustainable and eco-friendly. Several microorganisms have been used for this purpose, but Escherichia coli is one of the most widely used in this field. The literature in this area has increased exponentially in the last 10 years and several strategies have been reported in an effort to improve hydrogen production. In this work, the stay of the art of hydrogen biosynthesis by E. coli and metabolic engineering strategies to enhance hydrogen production are reviewed. This work includes a discussion about the hydrogenase complexes responsible for the hydrogen synthesis in this microorganism and the central carbon metabolism pathways connected to this process. The main metabolic engineering strategies applied are discussed, including heterologous gene expression, adaptive evolution and metabolic and protein engineering. On the other hand, culture conditions, including the use of carbon sources such as glycerol, glucose or organic wastes, have also been considered. Yields and productivities of the most relevant engineered strains reported using several carbon sources are also compared.     

Use of macroalgae for marine biomass production and CO2 remediation: a review

Biomass production from macroalgae has been viewed as important mainly because of the need for pollution abatement. Environmental considerations will increasingly determine product and process acceptability and drive the next generation of economic opportunity. Some countries, including Japan, are actively promoting "green" technologies that will be in demand worldwide in the coming decades. Should an international agreement on CO₂-reduction be ratified, its effective use for energy production would be of high priority. This report shows that macroalgae have great potential for biomass production and CO₂ bioremediation. Macroalgae have high productivity, as great or greater than the most productive land plants, and do not compete with terrestrial crops for farm land. The review focuses on recent data on productivity, photosynthesis, nutrient dynamics, optimization and economics. Biomass from macroalgae promises to provide environmentally and economically feasible alternatives to fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the techniques and technologies for growing macroalgae on a large-scale and for converting feedstocks to energy carriers must be more fully developed.     

Fermentative hydrogen production from low-value substrates

Hydrogen is a promising energy source that is believed to replace the conventional energy sources e.g. fossil fuels over years. Hydrogen production methods can be divided into conventional production methods which depend mainly on fossil fuels and alternative production methods including electrolysis of water, biophotolysis and fermentation hydrogen production from organic waste materials. Compared to the conventional methods, the alternative hydrogen production methods are less energy intensive and negative-value substrates i.e. waste materials can be used to produce hydrogen. Among the alternative methods, fermentation process including dark and photo-fermentation has gained more attention because these processes are simple, waste materials can be utilized, and high hydrogen yields can be achieved. The fermentation process is affected by several parameters such as type of inoculum, pH, temperature, substrate type and concentration, hydraulic retention time, etc. In order to achieve optimum hydrogen yields and maximum substrate degradation, the operating conditions of the fermentation process must be optimized. In this review, two routes for biohydrogen production as dark and photo-fermentation are discussed. Dark/photo-fermentation technology is a new approach that can be used to increase the hydrogen yield and improve the energy recovery from organic wastes.     

Biodiesel production through lipase catalyzed transesterification: An overview

Recently, with the global shortage of fossil fuels, excessive increase in the price of crude oil and increased environmental concerns have resulted in the rapid growth in biodiesel production. The central reaction in the biodiesel production is the transesterification reaction which could be catalyzed either chemically or enzymatically. Enzymatic transesterification has certain advantages over the chemical catalysis of transesterification, as it is less energy intensive, allows easy recovery of glycerol and the transesterification of glycerides with high free fatty acid contents. Limitations of the enzyme catalyzed reactions include high cost of enzyme, low yield, high reaction time and the amount of water and organic solvents in the reaction mixture. Researchers have been trying to overcome these limitations in the enzyme catalyzed transesterification reaction. This paper is meant to review the latest development in the field of lipase catalyzed transesterification of biologically derived oil to produce biodiesel.     

Industrial biotechnology for the production of bio-based chemicals--a cradle-to-grave perspective

Shifting the resource base for chemical production from fossil feedstocks to renewable raw materials provides exciting possibilities for the use of industrial biotechnology-based process tools. This review gives an indication of the current developments in the transition to bio-based production, with a focus on the production of chemicals, and points out some of the challenges that exist in the large-scale implementation of industrial biotechnology. Furthermore, the importance of evaluating the environmental impact of bio-based products with respect to their entire life cycle is highlighted, demonstrating that the choice of the raw material often turns out to be an important parameter influencing the life cycle performance.     

Agronomic improvements can make future cereal systems in South Asia far more productive and result in a lower environmental footprint

South Asian countries will have to double their food production by 2050 while using resources more efficiently and minimizing environmental problems. Transformative management approaches and technology solutions will be required in the major grain‐producing areas that provide the basis for future food and nutrition security. This study was conducted in four locations representing major food production systems of densely populated regions of South Asia. Novel production‐scale research platforms were established to assess and optimize three futuristic cropping systems and management scenarios (S2, S3, S4) in comparison with current management (S1). With best agronomic management practices (BMPs), including conservation agriculture (CA) and cropping system diversification, the productivity of rice‐ and wheat‐based cropping systems of South Asia increased substantially, whereas the global warming potential intensity (GWPi) decreased. Positive economic returns and less use of water, labor, nitrogen, and fossil fuel energy per unit food produced were achieved. In comparison with S1, S4, in which BMPs, CA and crop diversification were implemented in the most integrated manner, achieved 54% higher grain energy yield with a 104% increase in economic returns, 35% lower total water input, and a 43% lower GWPi. Conservation agriculture practices were most suitable for intensifying as well as diversifying wheat–rice rotations, but less so for rice–rice systems. This finding also highlights the need for characterizing areas suitable for CA and subsequent technology targeting. A comprehensive baseline dataset generated in this study will allow the prediction of extending benefits to a larger scale.     

Social structure and energy efficiency: A preliminary cross-national analysis

This study questions the assumption that there is an immutably positive relationship between per capita GNP and per capita energy consumption among human societies. A ratio of per capita GNP to per capita energy consumption ($U.S./kg coal equivalent) is proposed as a measure of energy efficiency for a cross-national analysis of 118 world nation-states and a subset of 25 developed market economies. This ratio is found to vary considerably, between 0.19 and 9.80. A review of literature suggests possible relationships among several sociodemographic characteristics of nations and levels of efficiency with which energy is converted into goods and services. Among the total sample, level of production (measured in terms of per capita GNP) bears a substantial inverse association with energy efficiency. When per capita GNP is held constant, agricultural share of gross domestic product and percentage of labor force in agriculture continue to be positively associated with energy efficiency among the total sample. Variables measuring defense expenditure, urbanization, and population density exhibit somewhat smaller multivariate relationships with energy efficiency when per capita GNP is controlled, i.e., these variables have significant multivariate parameters, but are less closely related to energy efficiency than level of production and agricultural composition of the economy and labor force. Agricultural composition of the economy and labor force is the major predictor of energy efficiency among the subset of 25 developed market economies. The results suggest that among the developed industrial societies level of production is less important than the composition of production activities in determining aggregate energy efficiency.This paper was originally presented at the annual meeting of the North Central Sociological Association, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 1977. This research was supported by funds from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences.     

Microbial conversion of glycerol: present status and future prospects

Biodiesel has emerged as a potential alternate renewable liquid fuel in the past two decades. Total annual production of biodiesel stands at 6.96 million tons and 11.2 million tons in USA and Europe, respectively. In other countries, Asia and Latin America, biodiesel production has increased at unprecedented rate. Despite this, the economy of biodiesel is not attractive. An obvious solution for boosting the economy of the biodiesel industry is to look for markets for side products of the transesterification process of biodiesel synthesis. The main by-product is glycerol. However, this glycerol is contaminated with alkali/acid catalyst and alcohol, and thus, is not useful for conventional applications such as in toothpaste, drugs, paints and cosmetics. Conversion of this glycerol to value-added product is a viable solution for effective and economic utilization, which would also generate additional revenue for the biodiesel industry. Intensive research has taken place in area of conversion of glycerol to numerous products. The conventional catalytic route of glycerol transformation employs prohibitively harsh conditions of temperature and pressure, and thus, has slim potential for large-scale implementation. In addition, the selectivity of the process is rather small with formation of many undesired side products. The bioconversion processes, on the other hand, are highly selective although with slower kinetics. In this review, we have given an assessment and overview of the literature on bioconversion of glycerol. We have assessed as many as 23 products from glycerol bioconversion, and have reviewed the literature in terms of microorganism used, mode of fermentation, type of fermentor, yield and productivity of the process and recovery/purification of the products. The metabolic pathway of conversion of glycerol to various products has been discussed. We have also pondered over economic and engineering issues of large-scale implementation of process and have outlined the constraints and limitations of the process. We hope that this review will be a useful source of information for biochemists, biotechnologists, microbiologists and chemical engineers working in the area of glycerol bioconversion.     

Microbial conversion of glycerol: present status and future prospects

Biodiesel has emerged as a potential alternate renewable liquid fuel in the past two decades. Total annual production of biodiesel stands at 6.96 million tons and 11.2 million tons in USA and Europe, respectively. In other countries, Asia and Latin America, biodiesel production has increased at unprecedented rate. Despite this, the economy of biodiesel is not attractive. An obvious solution for boosting the economy of the biodiesel industry is to look for markets for side products of the transesterification process of biodiesel synthesis. The main by-product is glycerol. However, this glycerol is contaminated with alkali/acid catalyst and alcohol, and thus, is not useful for conventional applications such as in toothpaste, drugs, paints and cosmetics. Conversion of this glycerol to value-added product is a viable solution for effective and economic utilization, which would also generate additional revenue for the biodiesel industry. Intensive research has taken place in area of conversion of glycerol to numerous products. The conventional catalytic route of glycerol transformation employs prohibitively harsh conditions of temperature and pressure, and thus, has slim potential for large-scale implementation. In addition, the selectivity of the process is rather small with formation of many undesired side products. The bioconversion processes, on the other hand, are highly selective although with slower kinetics. In this review, we have given an assessment and overview of the literature on bioconversion of glycerol. We have assessed as many as 23 products from glycerol bioconversion, and have reviewed the literature in terms of microorganism used, mode of fermentation, type of fermentor, yield and productivity of the process and recovery/purification of the products. The metabolic pathway of conversion of glycerol to various products has been discussed. We have also pondered over economic and engineering issues of large-scale implementation of process and have outlined the constraints and limitations of the process. We hope that this review will be a useful source of information for biochemists, biotechnologists, microbiologists and chemical engineers working in the area of glycerol bioconversion.     

Fermentative H2 production from residual glycerol: a review

The fermentative production of H₂ from residual glycerol is an attractive alternative for clean energy production from a waste product. Selection of operational variables for microbial populations with an adequate diversity in order to improve H₂ yields is an issue faced during optimization of biological production of H₂. Operational and environmental factors affect both microbial diversity and the activity of specific enzymes. Therefore, these variables must be controlled to obtain the best H₂ yields. This review covers the main variables involved in the fermentative production of H₂ from crude glycerol and the biochemistry of the anaerobic digestion of glycerol, with a focus on the microbial diversity involved in this process.     

Strain engineering for microbial production of value-added chemicals and fuels from glycerol

While the widespread reliance on fossil fuels is driven by their low cost and relative abundance, this fossil-based economy has been deemed unsustainable and, therefore, the adoption of sustainable and environmentally compatible energy sources is on the horizon. Biorefinery is an emerging approach that integrates metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and systems biology principles for the development of whole-cell catalytic platforms for biomanufacturing. Due to the high degree of reduction and low cost, glycerol, either refined or crude, has been recognized as an ideal feedstock for the production of value-added biologicals, though microbial dissimilation of glycerol sometimes can be difficult particularly under anaerobic conditions. While strain development for glycerol biorefinery is widely reported in the literature, few, if any, commercialized bioprocesses have been developed as a result, such that engineering of glycerol metabolism in microbial hosts remains an untapped opportunity in biomanufacturing. Here we review the recent progress made in engineering microbial hosts for the production of biofuels, diols, organic acids, biopolymers, and specialty chemicals from glycerol. We begin with a broad outline of the major pathways for fermentative and respiratory glycerol dissimilation and key end metabolites, and then focus our analysis on four key genera of bacteria known to naturally dissimilate glycerol, i.e. Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus, in addition to Escherichia coli, and systematically review the progress made toward engineering these microorganisms for glycerol biorefinery. We also identify the major biotechnological and bioprocessing advantages and disadvantages of each genus, and bottlenecks limiting the production of target metabolites from glycerol in engineered strains. Our analysis culminates in the development of potential strategies to overcome the current technical limitations identified for commonly employed strains, with an outlook on the suitability of different hosts for the production of key metabolites and avenues for their future development into biomanufacturing platforms.     

Biohydrogen production from microalgae—Major bottlenecks and future research perspectives

The imprudent use of fossil fuels has resulted in high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, leading to climate change and global warming. Reduction in GHG emissions and energy insecurity imposed by the depleting fossil fuel reserves led to the search for alternative sustainable fuels. Hydrogen is a potential alternative energy carrier and is of particular interest because hydrogen combustion releases only water. Hydrogen is also an important industrial feedstock. As an alternative energy carrier, hydrogen can be used in fuel cells for power generation. Current hydrogen production mainly relies on fossil fuels and is usually energy and CO₂-emission intensive, thus the use of fossil fuel-derived hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel source is fallacious. Biohydrogen production can be achieved via microbial methods, and the use of microalgae for hydrogen production is outstanding due to the carbon mitigating effects and the utilization of solar energy as an energy source by microalgae. This review provides comprehensive information on the mechanisms of hydrogen production by microalgae and the enzymes involved. The major challenges in the commercialization of microalgae-based photobiological hydrogen production are critically analyzed and future research perspectives are discussed. Life cycle analysis and economic assessment of hydrogen production by microalgae are also presented.     

Biotechnological production of ethanol: Biochemistry,processes and technologies

The majority of environmental problems arise from the use of conventional energy sources. The liability of such problems along with the reduction of fossil energy resources has led to the global need for alternative renewable energy sources. Using renewable biofuels as energy sources is of remarkable and continuously growing importance. Producing bioethanol through conversion of waste and residual biomass can be a viable and important perspective. In the first part of this review, general concepts, approaches and considerations concerning the utilization of the most important liquid biofuels, namely biodiesel and bioethanol, are presented. Unlike biodiesel (specifically first generation biodiesel), the production of bioethanol is exclusively based on the utilization of microbial technology and fermentation engineering. In the second part of this review, the biochemistry of ethanol production, with regards to the use of hexoses, pentoses or glycerol as carbon sources, is presented and critically discussed. Differences in the glycolytic pathways between the major ethanol‐producing strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis) are presented. Regulation between respiration and fermentation in ethanol‐producing yeasts, viz. effects “Pasteur”, “Crabtree”, “Kluyver” and “Custers”, is discussed. Xylose and glycerol catabolism related with bioethanol production is also depicted and commented. The technology of the fermentation is presented along with a detailed illustration of the substrates used in the process and in pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, and the various fermentation configurations employed (separate hydrolysis and fermentation, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, simultaneous saccharification and co‐fermentation and consolidated bioprocessing). Finally, the production of bioethanol under non‐aseptic conditions is presented and discussed.     

Microalgal hydrogen production: prospects of an essential technology for a clean and sustainable energy economy

Modern energy production is required to undergo a dramatic transformation. It will have to replace fossil fuel use by a sustainable and clean energy economy while meeting the growing world energy needs. This review analyzes the current energy sector, available energy sources, and energy conversion technologies. Solar energy is the only energy source with the potential to fully replace fossil fuels, and hydrogen is a crucial energy carrier for ensuring energy availability across the globe. The importance of photosynthetic hydrogen production for a solar-powered hydrogen economy is highlighted and the development and potential of this technology are discussed. Much successful research for improved photosynthetic hydrogen production under laboratory conditions has been reported, and attempts are underway to develop upscale systems. We suggest that a process of integrating these achievements into one system to strive for efficient sustainable energy conversion is already justified. Pursuing this goal may lead to a mature technology for industrial deployment.