Kinetic modeling of butanol production by co-culture of Clostridium pasteurianum DSM 525 and Clostridium saccharobutylicum DSM 13864

• Grant number: 24/07704-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Adriano Pinto Mariano
• Grantee: Pedro Vasconcellos Cazzoli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The butanol market is projected to grow until the end of the decade as a result of the possible applications of this compound in different sectors (for example, in the production of acrylates or as fuel). The most commonly adopted route for the generation of biobutanol is the ABE (Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol) fermentation, which is carried out mainly by anaerobic bacteria of the Clostridium species. One of the strategies to increase the productivity of this fermentation is through cocultures, either between different strains of Clostridium or with other microorganisms. An interesting and important aspect of implementing this coculture is understanding how the kinetics of the process occur. In this context, this IC project will seek to build a phenomenological model for the fermentation kinetics of the coculture of Clostridium saccharobutylicum DSM 13864 and Clostridium pasteurianum DSM 525 strains, exploring the influence of glucose and xylose consumption and the inoculation time of Clostridium pasteurianum. To achieve this, mono- and co-cultures will be carried out with these microorganisms on a 250-mL flask scale. It is hoped that this project will serve to better understand the dynamics of this coculture and allow for a better implementation of this condition in future postgraduate work.