Fuel ethanol from corn residue prehydrolysate by a patented ethanologenicEscherichia coli B

Summary The hemicellulose component of corn cobs was completely hydrolyzed by treatment with dilute sulphuric acid. HPLC analysis showed the prehydrolysate to contain 36g/L xylose; 7g/L arabinose; 6g/L glucose and 4.2g/L acetic acid. The patented genetically engineered ethanologenEscherichia coli B (ATCC 11303 pLOI 297) exhibited high performance characteristics with a synthetic model medium in which the pH was controlled at 7 in order to minimize sensitivity to acetic acid. With the synthetic medium, fermentation was completed in 36h and the process yield was 0.49g/g, equivalent to 96% max. theoretical conversion efficiency. However, with the supplemented corn cob prehydrolysate medium, about 20% of the sugar remained unfermented after 8 days, with a conversion efficiency of <40%. Treatment of the prehydrolysate with calcium hydroxide did not result in a significant improvement in fermentation performance. Based on the poor yield, it is concluded that, under the test conditions employed, this patented ethanologen does not qualify as a potential process biocatalyst for the production of fermentation fuel ethanol from corn residue hemicellulose hydrolysate prepared with dilute sulphuric acid.