The enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of pretreated wheat straw to ethanol

Autohydrolysis and ethanol-alkali pulping were used as pretreatment methods of wheat straw for its subsequent saccharification by Trichoderma reesei cellulase. The basic hydrolysis parameters, i.e., reaction time, pH, temperature, and enzyme and substrate concentration, were optimized to maximize sugar yields from ethanol-alkali modified straw. Thus, a 93% conversion of 2.5% straw material to sugar syrup containing 73% glucose was reached in 48 h using 40 filter paper units/g hydrolyzed substrate. The pretreated wheat straw was then fermented to ethanol at 43 degrees C in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process using T. reesei cellulase and Kluyveromyces fragilis cells. From 10% (w/v) of chemically treated straw (dry matter), 2.4% (w/v) ethanol was obtained after 48 h. When the T. reesei cellulase system was supplemented with beta-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger, the ethanol yield in the SSF process increased to 3% (w/v) and the reaction time was shortened to 24 h.     

The production of 2,3-butanediol by fermentation of high test molasses

Summary Klebsiella oxytoca fermented 199 g·l^–1 high test or invert molasses using batch fermentation with substrate shift to produce 95.2–98.6 g 2,3-butanediol·l^–1 and 2,4–4.3 g acetoin·l^–1 with a diol yield of 96–100% of the theoretical value and a diol productivity of 1.0–1.1 g·l^–1·h^–1. Fermentation was performed numerous times with molasses in repeated batch culture with cell recovery. Such repeated batch fermentation, in addition to a high product yield, also showed a very high product concentration. For example, 118 g 2,3-butanediol·l^–1 and 2.3 g acetoin·l^–1 were produced from 280 g·l^–1 of high test molasses. The diol productivity in this fermentation amounted to 2.4 g·l^–1·h^–1 and can undoubtedly be further increased by increasing the cell concentration. Because the Klebsiella cultures ferment 2,3-butanediol at an extremely high rate once the sugar has been consumed, the culture was inhibited completely by the addition of 15 g ethanol·l^–1 and switching off aeration. Offprint requests to: A. S. Afschar     

The enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of pretreated wood substrates

Aspenwood chips were pretreated by steam explosion. The various wood fractions obtained were assayed for their ability to act as substrates for growth and cellulase production of different Trichoderma and Clostridium thermocellum species. Steam exploded aspenwood was as efficiently utilized as solka floc and correspondingly high cellulase activities were detected in the various culture filtrates. When T. harzianum E58 was grown on increasing concentrations of solka floc, highest cellulase and xylanase activities were detected at 1% substrate concentrations while high substrate concentrations (10-20%) inhibited growth and enzyme production. When the cellulosic substrates were supplemented with increasing amounts of glucose, cellulase and xylanase production were inhibited when the glucose concentration exceeded 0.1%. Highest xylanase activities were detected after growth of T. reesei C30 and T. harianum E58 on xylan and solka floc respectively. All of the steam exploded fractions were at least partially hydrolyzed by the T. harzianum E58 cellulase system. The extent of the pretreatment also influenced the ability of Zymomonas mobilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ferment the liberated sugars to ethanol. About 85% of the theoretical yield of ethanol from cellulose could be obtained from the combined hydrolysis and fermentation of pretreated aspenwood.     

Production of 2,3-butanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae grown on acid hydrolyzed wood hemicellulose

Summary Previously steam explosion had been used to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates to glucose. The conditions for pretreating aspen wood chips were optimized so that highest amounts of undegraded hemicellulose could be obtained after washing the steam exploded chips. The hemicellulose rich water soluble fractions showing highest pentosan yields were then acid hydrolysed to their composite sugars. Approximately 65–75% of the total reducing sugars detected in the wood hydrolysates were in the form of monosaccharides with D-xylose being the major component. Klebsiella pneumoniae was grown in media containing these wood hydrolysates as the substrate and 2,3-butanediol yields of 0.4–0.5 g per g of monosaccharide utilised were obtained.     

Wood hydrolyzate treatments for improved fermentation of wood sugars to 2,3-butanediol

Acid-hydrolyzed hardwood contains compounds inhibitory to microorganisms that convert wood sugars to fermentation products such as fuels and chemicals. Several methods of treating acid-hydrolyzed hardwood (hydrolyzate) to reduce the levels of potential microbial inhibitors (acetate, furfural, sulfate, and phenolics) were evaluated. The methods evaluated were precipitation with calcium hydroxide, extraction with organic solvents, treatment with ion-exchange resins, adsorption resins, and activated charcoal. Treatment of the hydrolyzate with an anion exchange resin (Amberlite IRA-400) was the most effective method for removing potential inhibitors. Non-treated hydrolyzate adjusted to pH 6 inhibited growth of a 2,3-butanediol-producing culture of Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, hydrolyzate treated with Amberlite IRA-400 was not inhibitory and resulted in yields of 2,3-butanediol that were greater than 90% of theoretical.     

Restriction of the enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-pretreated spruce by lignin and hemicellulose

The presence of lignin is known to reduce the efficiency of the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic raw materials. On the other hand, solubilization of hemicellulose, especially of xylan, is known to enhance the hydrolysis of cellulose. The enzymatic hydrolysis of spruce, recognized among the most challenging lignocellulosic substrates, was studied by commercial and purified enzymes from Trichoderma reesei. Previously, the enzymatic hydrolysis of steam pretreated spruce has been studied mainly by using commercial enzymes and no efforts have been taken to clarify the bottlenecks by using purified enzyme components.Steam-pretreated spruce was hydrolyzed with a mixture of Celluclast and Novozym 188 to obtain a hydrolysis residue, expectedly containing the most resistant components. The pretreated raw material and the hydrolysis residue were analyzed for the enrichment of structural bottlenecks during the hydrolysis. Lignin was removed from these two materials with chlorite delignification method in order to eliminate the limitations caused by lignin. Avicel was used for comparison as a known model substrate. Mixtures of purified enzymes were used to investigate the hydrolysis of the individual carbohydrates: cellulose, glucomannan and xylan in the substrates. The results reveal that factors limiting the hydrolysis are mainly due to the lignin, and to a minor extent by the lack of accessory enzymes. Removal of lignin doubled the hydrolysis degree of the raw material and the residue, and reached close to 100% of the theoretical within 2 days. The presence of xylan seems to limit the hydrolysability, especially of the delignified substrates. The hydrolysis results also revealed significant hemicellulose impurities in the commonly used cellulose model substrate, making it questionable to use Avicel as a model cellulose substrate for hydrolysis experiments.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of alkali/peracetic acid-pretreated sugarcane bagasse for ethanol and 2,3-butanediol production

The enzymatic digestibility of alkali/peracetic acid (PAA)-pretreated bagasse was systematically investigated. The effects of initial solid consistency, cellulase loading and addition of supplemental β-glucosidase on the enzymatic conversion of glycan were studied. It was found the alkali-PAA pulp showed excellent enzymatic digestibility. The enzymatic glycan conversion could reach about 80% after 24 h incubation when enzyme loading was 10 FPU/g solid. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) results indicated that the pulp could be well converted to ethanol. Compared with dilute acid pretreated bagasse (DAPB), alkali-PAA pulp could obtain much higher ethanol and xylose concentrations. The fermentation broth still showed some cellulase activity so that the fed pulp could be further converted to sugars and ethanol. After the second batch SSF, the fermentation broth of alkali-PAA pulp still kept about 50% of initial cellulase activity. However, only 21% of initial cellulase activity was kept in the fermentation broth of DAPB. The xylose syrup obtained in SSF of alkali-PAA pulp could be well converted to 2,3-butanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae CGMCC 1.9131.     

The effect of yeast extract on the fermentation of glucose to 2,3-butanediol by Bacillus polymyxa

The fermentation of glucose to 2,3-butanediol by Bacillus polymyxa was improved by increasing the amount of yeast extract in the culture medium. A level of 1.5% (w/v) resulted in optimal 2,3-butanediol production. A comparable fermentation could be achieved with 0.5% yeast extract if the phosphate level of the medium was increased from 0.0026 to 0.078 M and the medium was supplemented with 40 M iron and 1.7 M manganese.NRCC #23497     

芽胞杆菌发酵产2,3-丁二醇的研究进展及展望

综述了近年来利用芽胞杆菌生产2,3-丁二醇(2,3-BD)的研究进展,包括生产菌株的筛选、影响芽胞杆菌发酵2,3-丁二醇的因素、芽胞杆菌2,3-丁二醇代谢途径及调控等方面,并对其研究方向进行了展望。     

粘质沙雷氏菌产2,3-丁二醇培养基的优化

研究了各种碳源、氮源、柠檬酸及无机盐对细胞生长与产物形成的影响,通过单因子、正交及中心组合设计响应面分析优化发酵培养基。结果表明在培养基中添加柠檬酸不但可以促进细胞生长与糖耗速度,还可以缩短发酵周期,提高2,3-丁二醇的产量。采用优化后的培养基,2,3-丁二醇的产量由14.03g/L增加到39.27g/L,提高了近3倍。     

玉米秸秆水解液发酵联产氢气与2,3-丁二醇的初步研究

选用实验室自行筛选的Klebsiella pneumoniae ECU-15,进行了玉米秸秆水解液发酵联产氢气和2,3-丁二醇的初步研究。结果表明:以葡萄糖为碳源时,两目标产物随培养条件的改变呈现相同的变化趋势,且最佳发酵温度为37℃,最佳pH为6.0,最佳初始糖浓度为30 g/L;不同比例葡萄糖/木糖为混合碳源时,均能实现氢气和2,3-丁二醇的联产过程,但随着木糖含量的增加,细胞产量、氢气产量和2,3-丁二醇的产量都有所下降,并且木糖的存在会降低葡萄糖的消耗速率;实验最后以玉米秸秆水解液和同比例模拟合成培养基为底物,初步探明了该菌株利用水解液发酵联产氢气和2,3-丁二醇的可行性,最终氢气产量为0.65 v/v,产氢得率为0.43 mol/mol sugar;2,3-丁二醇产量为5.05 g/L,得率为0.82 mol/mol sugar。     

Steam-explosion of olive stones: hemicellulose solubilization and enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose

Olive stones (whole stones and seed husks in fragments) were processed by steam-explosion under different experimental conditions of temperature and time, 200-236 degrees C for 2-4 min, with or without previous acid impregnation with 0.1%, H2SO4 (w/w). This paper examines the solubilization of hemicelluloses and their molecular weight distribution. The subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of the solid residue, using a preparation of cellulase, was also studied. The maximum yield of the pentosan recovered in the water solution was 63% pentose in the starting material for seed husk treated at 200 degrees C for 2 min (log R0 3.24) prior to acid-impregnation, or at 215 degrees C for 2 min (log R0 3.69) without acid, compared to 39% of the potential yield for whole stones pre-impregnated with acid under more severe conditions (at log R0 = 4.07). This indicates that the autohydrolysis of hemicellulose in seed husks when compared to whole stones is enhanced. The molecular weight distribution of profile sugars showed that the depolymerization of hemicelluloses is a function of the severity of the treatment. Steam-explosion improved the accessibility of the cellulose and increased the enzymatic hydrolysis yield after steam-explosion with respect to material without steam explosion (ball-milled material), although little increase in the extent of saccharification occurred when the alkali-soluble lignin was removed. Only when the substrate was post-treated with Na-chlorite was the enzymatic hydrolysis improved, the water-insoluble residue being almost completely hydrolyzed in 8 h of incubation.     

A simple method for xylanase preparation used for the hydrolysis and fermentation of hemicellulose to butanediol

Summary When culture filtrates ofTrichoderma harzianum E58 were concentrated by passage through an ultrafiltration membrane with a molecular weight exclusion limit of 10,000 Daltons, 80% of the original xylanase activity was recovered in the ultrafiltrates. Culture filtrates and ultrafiltrates which were concentrated by rotary evaporation contained inhibitors which restricted the fermentation of the hemicellulose-derived sugars to 2,3-butanediol. A simple solvent-exchange treatment of the ultrafiltrates could effectively concentrate the xylanases as well as remove the fermentation inhibitors.     

Structural and enzymatic characterization of Bacillus subtilis R,R-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase

2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (BDH, EC 1.1.1.76) also known as acetoin reductase (AR, EC 1.1.1.4) is the key enzyme converting acetoin (AC) into 2,3-butanediol (BD) and undertaking the irreversible conversion of diacetyl to acetoin in various microorganisms. The existence of three BDHs (R,R-, meso-, and S,S-BDH) product different BD isomers. Catalyzing mechanisms of meso- and S,S-BDH have been understood with the assistance of their X-ray crystal structures. However, the lack of structural data for R,R-BDH restricts the integral understanding of the catalytic mechanism of BDHs. In this study, we successfully crystallized and solved the X-ray crystal structure of Bacillus subtilis R,R-BDH. A zinc ion was found locating in the catalytic center and coordinated by Cys37, His70 and Glu152, helping to stabilize the chiral substrates observed in the predicted molecular docking model. The interaction patterns of different chiral substrates in the molecular docking model explained the react priority measured by the enzyme activity assay of R,R-BDH. Site-directed mutation experiments determined that the amino acids Cys37, Thr244, Ile268 and Lys340 are important in the catalytically active center. The structural information of R,R-BDH presented in this study accomplished the understanding of BDHs catalytic mechanism and more importantly provides useful guidance for the directional engineering of R,R-BDH to obtain high-purity monochiral BD and AC.     

Effect of hemicellulose and lignin removal on enzymatic hydrolysis of steam pretreated corn stover

Ethanol can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass using steam pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. The sugar yields, from both hemicellulose and cellulose are critical parameters for an economically-feasible ethanol production process. This study shows that a near-theoretical glucose yield (96-104%) from acid-catalysed steam pretreated corn stover can be obtained if xylanases are used to supplement cellulases during hydrolysis. Xylanases hydrolyse residual hemicellulose, thereby improving the access of enzymes to cellulose. Under these conditions, xylose yields reached 70-74%. When pre-treatment severity was reduced by using autocatalysis instead of acid-catalysed steam pretreatment, xylose yields were increased to 80-86%. Partial delignification of pretreated material was also evaluated as a way to increase the overall sugar yield. The overall glucose yield increased slightly due to delignification but the overall xylose yield decreased due to hemicellulose loss in the delignification step. The data also demonstrate that steam pretreatment is a robust process: corn stover from Europe and North America showed only minor differences in behaviour.     

Lignin and extractives derived inhibitors in the 2,3-butanediol fermentation of mannose-rich prehydrolysates

Summary Mannose, the predominant sugar in southern pine water prehydrolysates, has been fermented to 2,3-butanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae AU-1-d3. Lignin derivatives and extractives soluble in the water prehydrolysates, however, hindered the butanediol fermentation. Treatments with sequential lime-sulfuric acid or mixed bed ion resins facilitated the butanediol fermentation of the water prehydrolysates. Fermentation inhibitors derived from southern pine lignin and extractives were identified.     

产酸克雷伯氏杆菌发酵产2，3-丁二醇的培养基优化

采用不同设计方法相结合的策略对耐高糖产酸克雷伯氏杆菌（Klebsiella oxytoca）ME—UD-3-4发酵产2,3-丁二醇的培养基进行优化。首先在单因素实验的基础上采用Plackett—Burrnan设计法对影响ME—UD-3-4发酵产2,3-丁二醇的相关因素进行研究,筛选到3种有显著效应的因素（P〈0．05）：葡萄糖、玉米浆和MgSO4·7H2O。然后利用响应曲面法（Response Surface Methodology,RSM）对这3种因素的最佳水平范围进一步探讨;对得到的回归模型进行分析,得最佳条件（g／L）：葡萄糖220、玉米浆19和MgSO4·7H2O 0．4;在最佳条件下,发酵80h,2,3-丁二醇产量从原来的57．3 g／L提高到86．1 g／L,生产强度由0．72g／（L·h）提高到1．08g/（L·h）。     

Separation of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth by reactive-extraction using acetaldehyde-cyclohexane system

Biochemical 2,3-butanediol is a renewable material with the potential to be used as an alternative fuel. However, in the lack of an effective separation process has limited its industrial application. In this paper, an effective process was achieved to separate 2,3-butanediol by reactive-extraction. Acetaldehyde and cyclohexane were chosen as the reactant and extractant, respectively. Ion-exchange resin HZ732 was used as the catalyst. Reaction equilibrium and a kinetic study on the reaction between 2,3-butanediol and acetaldehyde were investigated to provide basic data for process development. The reaction enthalpy and activation energy of reaction of 2,3-butanediol and acetaldehyde were ?30.05 ± 1.62 KJ/mol and 45.29 ± 2.89 KJ/mol, respectively. Feasible conditions were obtained as follows: operating temperature = 20°C, acetaldehyde: 2,3-butanediol = 0.5:1 (w/w), cyclohexane: fermentation broth = 0.5:1 (w/w), catalyst amount = 100 g/L, stirring rate = 500 rpm and three-stage counter-current extraction method was used. Under these conditions, the total yield rate of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth was over 90% and the mass fraction of 2,3-butanediol in the final product reached 99%.     

A model for multiproduct-inhibited growth of Enterobacter aerogenes in 2,3-butanediol fermentation

Summary Ethanol is identified as a strongly inhibitory metabolite in addition to acetic acid and 2,3-butanediol in 2,3-butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes. A model is proposed to describe the multiproduct-inhibited growth of E. aerogenes in 2,3-butanediol fermentation. The model is verified with data from anaerobic and microaerobic continuous culture. On the basis of this model the difference in biomass production and product patterns during anaerobic and microaerobic growth of E. aerogenes is discussed. Offprint requests to: W.-D. Deckwer