Study of the solventogenic phase of Clostridium beijerinckii Br21 using xylose as ...
| Grant number: | 16/01785-0 |
| Support type: | Scholarships abroad - Research |
| Effective date (Start): | August 01, 2016 |
| Effective date (End): | July 31, 2017 |
| Field of knowledge: | Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries |
| Principal Investigator: | Elmer Alberto Ccopa Rivera |
| Grantee: | Elmer Alberto Ccopa Rivera |
| Host: | Thaddeus Chukwuemeka Ezeji |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
| Local de pesquisa : | Ohio State University, Columbus, United States |
Abstract The main goal of this study is to address two important bottlenecks that impede large-scale industrial production of butanol (an advanced biofuel) from eucalyptus wood, which include low sugar conversion and butanol productivity due to inhibitions caused by lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds (LDMICs) and the fermentation product (n-butanol). To effectively tackle these issues, this project will use glycerol as an in situ detoxification agent of LDMICs in combination with in situ recovery of butanol from the fermentation broth during fermentation. The catabolism of glycerol by Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 during the fermentation of eucalyptus wood derived sugars is expected to increase the production of NAD(P)H, which the microorganism uses to transform high concentrations of LDMICs such as furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural to less inhibitory compounds. To enhance conversion of glycerol to butanol by C. beijerinckii, metabolic engineering will be used to transform the strain with a plasmid that expresses glycerol dehydrogenase (GDH) obtained from Clostridium pasteurianum, which is a microorganism recognized by its ability to use glycerol as carbon source. Compatible with this task, the in silico reconstruction of metabolic networks will be conducted to examine the effects of inhibitors on the metabolism of wild and recombinant strains of C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. To overcome the problem of butanol toxicity to the fermenting microorganisms, and increase butanol productivity, butanol produced during the fermentation of dilute acid pretreated eucalyptus wood and glycerol mixture will be continuously recovered real-time during fermentation by the vacuum-assisted gas stripping technology. This research proposal is linked to the ongoing FAPESP research grants 15/07097-5 and 15/50243-2 led by FEQ/UNICAMP and Ohio State University (OSU). (AU) | |