Parameters Affecting Solvent Production by Clostridium pasteurianum

The effect of pH, growth rate, phosphate and iron limitation, carbon monoxide, and carbon source on product formation by Clostridium pasteurianum was determined. Under phosphate limitation, glucose was fermented almost exclusively to acetate and butyrate independently of the pH and growth rate. Iron limitation caused lactate production (38 mol/100 mol) from glucose in batch and continuous culture. At 15% (vol/vol) carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, glucose was fermented to ethanol (24 mol/100 mol), lactate (32 mol/100 mol), and butanol (36 mol/100 mol) in addition to the usual products, acetate (38 mol/100 mol) and butyrate (17 mol/100 mol). During glycerol fermentation, a completely different product pattern was found. In continuous culture under phosphate limitation, acetate and butyrate were produced only in trace amounts, whereas ethanol (30 mol/100 mol), butanol (18 mol/100 mol), and 1,3-propanediol (18 mol/100 mol) were the major products. Under iron limitation, the ratio of these products could be changed in favor of 1,3-propanediol (34 mol/100 mol). In addition, lactate was produced in significant amounts (25 mol/100 mol). The tolerance of C. pasteurianum to glycerol was remarkably high; growth was not inhibited by glycerol concentrations up to 17% (wt/vol). Increasing glycerol concentrations favored the production of 1,3-propanediol.     

Production of 1,3-propanediol by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clostridium butyricum</Emphasis> VPI 3266 using a synthetic medium and raw glycerol

Growth inhibition of Clostridium butyricum VPI 3266 by raw glycerol, obtained from the biodiesel production process, was evaluated. C. butyricum presents the same tolerance to raw and to commercial glycerol, when both are of similar grade, i.e. above 87% (w/v). A 39% increase of growth inhibition was observed in the presence of 100 g l^–1 of a lower grade raw glycerol (65% w/v). Furthermore, 1,3-propanediol production from two raw glycerol types (65% w/v and 92% w/v), without any prior purification, was observed in batch and continuous cultures, on a synthetic medium. No significant differences were found in C. butyricum fermentation patterns on raw and commercial glycerol as the sole carbon source. In every case, 1,3-propanediol yield was around 0.60 mol/mol glycerol consumed.     

3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde guided glycerol feeding strategy in aerobic 1,3-propanediol production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Klebsiella pneumoniae</Emphasis>

3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) is a toxic intermediary metabolite in the biological route of 1,3-propanediol biosynthesis from glycerol. 3-HPA accumulated in culture medium would arouse an irreversible cessation of the fermentation process. The role of substrate (glycerol) on 3-HPA accumulation in aerobic fermentation was investigated in this paper. 1,3-Propanediol oxidoreductase and glycerol dehydratase, two key enzyme catalyzing reactions of 3-HPA formation and consumption, were sensitive to high concentration of 3-HPA. When the concentration of 3-HPA increased to a higher level in medium (ac 10 mmol/L), the activity of 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase in cell decreased correspondingly, which led to decrease of the 3-HPA conversion rate, then the 3-HPA concentration increasing was accelerated furthermore. 3-HPA accumulation in culture medium was triggered by this positive feedback mechanism. In the cell exponential growth phase, the reaction catalyzed by 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase was the rate limiting step in 1,3-propanediol production. The level of 3-HPA in culture medium could be controlled by the substrate (glycerol) concentration, and lower level of glycerol could avoid 3-HPA accumulating to a high, lethal concentration. In fed batch fermentation, under the condition of initial glycerol concentration 30 g/L, and keeping glycerol concentration lower than 7–8 g/L in cell exponential growth phase, 3-HPA accumulation could not be incurred. Based on this result, a glycerol feeding strategy was set up in fed batch fermentation. Under the optimized condition, 50.1 g/L of 1,3-propanediol was produced in 24 h, and 73.1 g/L of final 1,3-propanediol concentration was obtained in 54 h.     

Fermentation of raw glycerol to 1,3-propanediol by new strains ofClostridium butyricum

Industrial glycerol obtained through the transesterification process using rapeseed oil did not support growth of several strains ofClostridium butyricum obtained from bacterial culture collections. Ten new strains ofC. butyricum were obtained from mud samples from a river, a stagnant pond, and a dry canal. These new isolates fermented the commercial glycerol and produced 1,3-propanediol as a major fermentation product with concomitant production of acetic and butyric acids. Four of the ten isolates were able to grow on industrial glycerol obtained from rapeseed oil. One strain,C. butyricum E5, was very resistant to high levels of glycerol and 1,3-propanediol. Using fed-batch fermentation, 109 g L^–1 of industrial glycerol were converted into 58 g of 1,3-propanediol, 2.2 g of acetate and 6.1 g of butyrate per liter.     

Fermentation of glycerol by Clostridium pasteurianum--batch and continuous culture studies

The fermentation of glycerol by Clostridium pasteurianum was studied with respect to product formation as influenced by the culture conditions. In the majority of batch cultures, butanol was the main fermentation product, but a varying fraction of glycerol was also converted to 1,3-propanediol, butyric and acetic acids and ethanol. More than 60 g/l glycerol was utilized, and up to 17 g/l butanol was produced. Fed-batch cultures did not offer an advantage. When molecular nitrogen was used as a nitrogen source, the fermentation time was prolonged by a factor of 1.5. Fermentations at constant pH values between 4.5 and 7.5 did not reveal significant differences in product formation except for an increase in the ethanol content starting at pH 6.5. Chemostat cultures also yielded predominantly n-butanol, but in some fermentations, the 1,3-propanediol fraction was relatively high. The pH auxostat cultures, which were operated at a glycerol excess, contained 1,3-propanediol as the main product. As a whole, the fermentations were characterized by a certain variability in product formation under seemingly equal or slightly varied conditions. It appears that the regulation of the numerous fermentation pathways occurring in this organism is not very strict. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2001) 27, 18–26. Received 25 September 2000/ Accepted in revised form 07 April 2001     

Glycerol fermentation of 1,3-propanediol by Clostridium butyricum. Measurement of product inhibition by use of a pH-auxostat

Summary The fermentation of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol, acetate, and butyrate by Clostridium butyricum was studied with respect to growth inhibition by the accumulating products. The clostridia were grown in a pH-auxostat culture at low cell density and product concentration and near maximum growth rate. The products were then added individually to the medium in increasing concentrations and the resulting depression of growth rate was used as a quantitative estimate of product inhibition. Under these conditions growth was totally inhibited at concentrations of 60 g/l for 1,3-propanediol, 27 g/l for acetic acid and 19 g/l for butyric acid at pH 6.5. Appreciable inhibition by glycerol was found only above a concentration of 80 g/l. In a pH-auxostat without added products but with high cell density as well as in batch cultures the product proportions were different. The 1,3-propanediol concentration may approach the value of complete inhibition while the concentrations of acetic and butyric acids remained below these values by at least one order of magnitude. It was therefore concluded that 1,3-propanediol is the first range inhibitor in this fermentation.     

Microbial conversion of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol: physiological comparison of a natural producer, Clostridium butyricum VPI 3266, and an engineered strain, Clostridium acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5)

Clostridium acetobutylicum is not able to grow on glycerol as the sole carbon source since it cannot reoxidize the excess of NADH generated by glycerol catabolism. Nevertheless, when the pSPD5 plasmid, carrying the NADH-consuming 1,3-propanediol pathway from C. butyricum VPI 3266, was introduced into C. acetobutylicum DG1, growth on glycerol was achieved, and 1,3-propanediol was produced. In order to compare the physiological behavior of the recombinant C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5) strain with that of the natural 1,3-propanediol producer C. butyricum VPI 3266, both strains were grown in chemostat cultures with glycerol as the sole carbon source. The same "global behavior" was observed for both strains: 1,3-propanediol was the main fermentation product, and the qH2 flux was very low. However, when looking at key intracellular enzyme levels, significant differences were observed. Firstly, the pathway for glycerol oxidation was different: C. butyricum uses a glycerol dehydrogenase and a dihydroxyacetone kinase, while C. acetobutylicum uses a glycerol kinase and a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Secondly, the electron flow is differentially regulated: (i) in C. butyricum VPI 3266, the in vitro hydrogenase activity is 10-fold lower than that in C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5), and (ii) while the ferredoxin-NAD+ reductase activity is high and the NADH-ferredoxin reductase activity is low in C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5), the reverse is observed for C. butyricum VPI 3266. Thirdly, lactate dehydrogenase activity is only detected in the C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5) culture, explaining why this microorganism produces lactate.     

The fermentation of glycerol byClostridium butyricum LMG 1212t2 and 1213t1 andC. pasteurianum LMG 3285

Summary In batch culture on reiinforced clostridial medium strain-dependent product profiles from glycerol revealed unusual fermentation products such as propionate and n-propanol with Clostridium butyricum LMG 1213t₁, and 1,3-propanediol with C. butyricum LMG 1212t₂ and C. pasteurianium LMG 3285. Only the latter two strains were able to grow on glycerol in a minimal medium. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺)-dependent dehydrogenase activities were detected with 1,3-propanediol and n-butanol as substrate (the latter only after a lag period) in cell-free extracts of C. butyricum LMG 1212t₂ and with 1,3-propanediol, n-butanol and ethanol in cell-free extracts of C. pasteurianum LMG 3285. The data indicated the existance of a specific 1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase in both organisms. In a chemostat, C. butyricum LMG 1212t₂ converted 65% of the glycerol supplied as sole carbon and energy source to 1,3-propanediol without H₂ production. Increasing concentration of acetate in the inflow medium resulted in less 1,3-propanediol and more butyrate and H₂ production. C. pasteurianum LMG 3285 converted somewhat more than half of the glycerol supplied as sole energy and carbon source to n-butanol with significant concomitant H₂ production. This fermentation pattern was hardly affected by acetate as co-substrate. Offprint requests to: P. De Vos     

1,3-Propanediol oxidoreductase production with Klebsiella pneumoniae DSM2026

We report a Klebsiella pneumoniae DSM2026 fermentation procedure for the efficient production of a key enzyme of 1,3-propanediol formation: 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase (E.C. 1.1.1.202). The fermentation process is composed of an aerobic batch phase on glucose and glycerol and an anaerobic phase on glycerol. The role of the aerobic phase is to produce sufficiently high cell mass (12.9–14.6 g/l dry weight) and to activate the aerobic branch of the Klebsiella glycerol pathway, whereas in the anaerobic phase there is a rapid initiation of 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase formation. A fast change from an aerobic to an anaerobic environment led to a redox imbalance, which resulted in the abrupt activation of the anaerobic branch of glycerol utilization, with the occurrence of a high 1,3-propanediol-oxidoreductase activity. A mathematical model with substrate inhibition showed that the adequate glycerol concentration for enzyme production was 14–16 g/l. The combination of the optimal substrate concentration together with the subsequent use of glucose and glycerol resulted in 90.6 ± 11.6 U enzyme activity referred to 1 l of fermentation broth and 10.3 ± 0.9 U/(1 h) productivity.     

Fermentation of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol in continuous cultures of Citrobacter freundii

The conversion of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol by Citrobacter freundii DSM 30040 was optimized in single- and two-stage continuous cultures. The productivity of 1,3-propanediol formation was highest under glycerol limitation and increased with the dilution rate (D) to a maximum of 3.7 g·l^–1·h^–1. Glycerol dehydratase seemed to be the rate-limiting step in 1,3-propanediol formation. Conditions for the two-stage fermentation process were as follows: first stage, glycerol limitation (250mM), pH 7.2, D=0.1 h^–, 31° C; second stage, additional glycerol, pH 6.6, D=0.05 h^–1, 28° C. Under these conditions 875mM glycerol were consumed, the final 1,3-propanediol concentration was 545mM, and the overall productivity 1.38 g·1^–1·h^–1. Correspondence to: G. Gottschalk     

Fermentation of crude glycerol from biodiesel production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clostridium pasteurianum</Emphasis>

Clostridium pasteurianum can utilize glycerol as the sole carbon source for the production of butanol and 1,3-propanediol. Crude glycerol derived from biodiesel production has been shown to be toxic to the organism even in low concentrations. By examination of different pretreatments we found that storage combined with activated stone carbon addition facilitated the utilization of crude glycerol. A pH-controlled reactor with in situ removal of butanol by gas stripping was used to evaluate the performance. The fermentation pattern on pretreated crude glycerol was quite similar to that on technical grade glycerol. C. pasteurianum was able to utilize 111 g/l crude glycerol. The average consumption rate was 2.49 g/l/h and maximum consumption rate was 4.08 g/l/h. At the maximal glycerol consumption rate butanol was produced at 1.3 g/l/h. These rates are higher than those previously reported for fermentations on technical grade glycerol by the same strain. A process including pretreatment and subsequent fermentation of the crude glycerol could be usable for industrial production of butanol by C. pasteurianum.     

Shifts in the fermentation balance of Lactobacillus reuteri. In the presence of glycerol

Summary The influence of glycerol (100 mM) on the growth kinetic and the end-products formation by Lactobacillus reuteri growing on maltose (29 mM) was examined in aerobiosis and anaerobiosis. The presence of glycerol in aerated cultures changed the maltose consumption but not the growth rate nor the fermentation balance. In a nitrogen atmosphere, L. reuteri was not able to grow on maltose alone. In the presence of both, maltose and glycerol, L. reuteri changed its fermentation pattern, producing 58 mM 1,3-propanediol as the major end product.     

Microbial Conversion of Glycerol to 1,3-Propanediol: Physiological Comparison of a Natural Producer, Clostridium butyricum VPI 3266, and an Engineered Strain, Clostridium acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5)

Clostridium acetobutylicum is not able to grow on glycerol as the sole carbon source since it cannot reoxidize the excess of NADH generated by glycerol catabolism. Nevertheless, when the pSPD5 plasmid, carrying the NADH-consuming 1,3-propanediol pathway from C. butyricum VPI 3266, was introduced into C. acetobutylicum DG1, growth on glycerol was achieved, and 1,3-propanediol was produced. In order to compare the physiological behavior of the recombinant C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5) strain with that of the natural 1,3-propanediol producer C. butyricum VPI 3266, both strains were grown in chemostat cultures with glycerol as the sole carbon source. The same “global behavior” was observed for both strains: 1,3-propanediol was the main fermentation product, and the qH₂ flux was very low. However, when looking at key intracellular enzyme levels, significant differences were observed. Firstly, the pathway for glycerol oxidation was different: C. butyricum uses a glycerol dehydrogenase and a dihydroxyacetone kinase, while C. acetobutylicum uses a glycerol kinase and a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Secondly, the electron flow is differentially regulated: (i) in C. butyricum VPI 3266, the in vitro hydrogenase activity is 10-fold lower than that in C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5), and (ii) while the ferredoxin-NAD⁺ reductase activity is high and the NADH-ferredoxin reductase activity is low in C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5), the reverse is observed for C. butyricum VPI 3266. Thirdly, lactate dehydrogenase activity is only detected in the C. acetobutylicum DG1(pSPD5) culture, explaining why this microorganism produces lactate.     

High production of 1,3-propanediol from industrial glycerol by a newly isolated Clostridium butyricum strain

Batch and continuous cultures of a newly isolated Clostridium butyricum strain were carried out on industrial glycerol, the major by-product of the bio-diesel production process. For both types of cultures, the conversion yield obtained was around 0.55 g of 1,3-propanediol formed per 1 g of glycerol consumed whereas the highest 1,3-propanediol concentration, achieved during the single-stage continuous cultures was 35-48 g l-1. Moreover, the strain presented a strong tolerance at the inhibitory effect of the 1,3-propanediol, even at high concentrations of this substance at the chemostat (e.g. 80 g l-1). 1,3-Propanediol was associated with cell growth whereas acetate and butyrate seemed non growth-associated products. At low and medium dilution rates (until 0.1 h-1), butyrate production was favoured, whereas at higher rates acetate production increased. The maximum 1,3-propanediol volumetric productivity obtained was 5.5 g l-1 h-1. A two-stage continuous fermentation was also carried out. The first stage presented high 1,3-propanediol volumetric productivity, whereas the second stage (with a lower dilution rate) served to further increase the final product concentration. High 1,3-propanediol concentrations were achieved (41-46 g l-1), with a maximum volumetric productivity of 3.4 g l-1 h-1. A cell concentration decrease was reported between the second and the first fermentor.     

肺炎克雷伯氏菌利用甘油生产1,3-PDO发酵优化的研究进展

发展可再生能源,尤其是生物能源,具有显著的能量收益和碳减排效益。随着石油等不可再生资源的减少,许多大宗传统石油化工产品正不断被使用可再生原料的生物制造产品替代。生物发酵法生产1,3-丙二醇(1,3-PDO)顺应了这一潮流,具有广阔的发展前景。提高微生物发酵竞争力,优化发酵法生产1,3-PDO水平,势必增加1,3-PDO的生产效益。对肺炎克雷伯氏菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae)发酵法进行1,3-PDO生产的代谢机理、菌株筛选和利用、发酵参数的选择和优化以及发酵工程策略的设计和监测等进行综述,为利用生物柴油副产物甘油生产有重要工业价值的1,3-PDO产品提供参考。     

Glycerol fermentation by a new 1,3-propanediol-producing microorganism:Enterobacter agglomerans

 According to their ability to synthesize 1,3-propanediol from glycerol, two species were isolated from the anoxic mud of a distillery waste-water digestor: Clostridium butyricum and Enterobacter agglomerans. The latter, a facultatively anaerobic gram-negative bacterium, is described for the first time as a microorganism producing 1,3-propanediol from glycerol. The products of glycerol conversion by E. agglomerans were identified using nuclear magnetic resonance. A 20-g/l glycerol solution was fermented mainly to 1,3-propanediol (0.51 mol/mol) and acetate (0.18 mol/mol). Ethanol, formate, lactate and succinate were formed as by-products. Gas production was very low; 1,3-propanediol production perfectly balanced the oxido-reduction state of the microorganism. Acetate was the predominant metabolite generating energy for growth. High-glycerol-concentration fermentations (71 g/l and 100 g/l) resulted in an increase of the 1,3-propanediol yield (0.61 mol/mol) at the expense of lactate and ethanol production. Specific rates of glycerol consumption and 1, 3-propanediol and acetate production increased whereas the growth rate decreased. The decrease in ATP yield was linearly correlated with the specific rate of 1,3-propanediol production. Incomplete glycerol consumption (about 40 g/l) was systematically observed when high glycerol concentrations were used. The unbalanced oxido-reduction state, the low carbon recovery and the detection of an unknown compound by HPLC observed in these cases indicate the formation of another metabolite, which is possibly an inhibitory factor. Received: 17 November 1994 / Accepted: 15 December 1994     

补料分批发酵过程中两阶段发酵生产1,3-丙二醇

在补料分批发酵过程中提高比生长速率不仅减少乙醇、甲酸的生成,而且提高1,3-丙二醇的得率和比生产速率.发酵后期甘油的浓度在15～26 g/L时有利于提高1,3-丙二醇的生产.采取在发酵前期控制菌体较高比生长速率和发酵后期控制适宜甘油浓度相结合的策略,有效地提高了1,3-丙二醇的生产,降低副产物乳酸和乙醇的生成.     

克雷伯氏肺炎杆菌LDH526产1,3-丙二醇的甘油自动流加策略

1,3-丙二醇是一种重要的化工原料,主要作为平台化合物用于合成聚酯,如聚对苯二甲酸丙二醇酯。经基因工程改造的克雷伯氏肺炎杆菌LDH526能以甘油作为唯一碳源合成1,3-丙二醇,最终发酵浓度超过90 g/L。甘油浓度是影响1,3-丙二醇合成的关键因素。为了实现对甘油浓度的精确控制,设计并优化了基于发酵动力学的甘油自动流加策略。通过将底物流加速率与易观察变量p H和发酵时间偶联,实现了发酵过程中甘油流加的自启动和甘油浓度的动态控制。发酵72 h,1,3-丙二醇的浓度可稳定超过95 g/L。自动控制甘油流加的发酵过程具有可重复性、连续性以及人工工作量少的特点,有望从实验室规模扩大到生产规模。     

Production of 1,3-Propanediol by Clostridium butyricum VPI 3266 in continuous cultures with high yield and productivity

The effects of dilution rate and substrate feed concentration on continuous glycerol fermentation by Clostridium butyricum VPI 3266, a natural 1,3-propanediol producer, were evaluated in this work. A high and constant 1,3-propanediol yield (around 0.65 mol/mol), close to the theoretical value, was obtained irrespective of substrate feed concentration or dilution rate. Improvement of 1,3-propanediol volumetric productivity was achieved by increasing the dilution rate, at a fixed feed substrate concentration of 30, 60 or 70 g l⁻¹. Higher 1,3-propanediol final concentrations and volumetric productivities were also obtained when glycerol feed concentration was increased from 30 to 60 g l⁻¹, at D=0.05–0.3 h⁻¹, and from 60–70 g l⁻¹, at D=0.05 and 0.1 h⁻¹·30 g l⁻¹ of 1,3-propanediol and the highest reported value of productivity, 10.3 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹, was achieved at D=0.30 h⁻¹ and 60 g l⁻¹ of feed glycerol. A switch to an acetate/butyrate ratio higher than one was observed for 60 g l⁻¹ of feed glycerol and a dilution rate higher than 0.10 h⁻¹; moreover, at D=0.30 h⁻¹ 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde accumulation was observed for the first time in the fermentation broth of C. butyricum.     

Production of 1,3-propanediol from Glycerol by Recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> Using Incompatible Plasmids System

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) has numerous applications in polymers, cosmetics, foods, lubricants, and medicines as a bifunctional organic compound. The genes for the production of 1,3-PD in Klebsiella pneumoniae, dhaB, which encodes glycerol dehydratase, and dhaT, which encodes 1,3-PD oxidoreductase, and gdrAB, which encodes glycerol dehydratase reactivating factor, are naturally under the control of different promoters and are transcribed in different directions. These genes were coexpressed in E. coli using two incompatible plasmids (pET28a and pET22b) in the presence of selective pressure. The recombinant E. coli coexpressed the glycerol dehydratase, 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase and reactivating factor for the glycerol dehydratase at high levels. In a fed-batch fermentation of glycerol and glucose, the recombinant E. coli containing these two incompatible plasmids consumed 14.3 g/l glycerol and produced 8.6 g/l 1,3-propanediol. In the substitution case of yqhD (encoding alcohol dehydrogenase from E. coli) for dhaT, the final 1,3-propanediol concentration of the recombinant E. coli could reach 13.2 g/l.