Tomas Brandberg

The fermentation performance of nine strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch and fed-batch cultures in dilute-acid wood hydrolysate

Large differences in colony forming capacity, ethanol production and inhibitor conversion were noted between nine different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in anaerobic batch and fed-batch cultures on dilute acid wood hydrolysate. S. cerevisiae ATCC 96581 was able to metabolize all added glucose and mannose in fed-batch experiments. The choice of production strain will have a significant effect on the performance of a hydrolysate-based ethanol production plant.

Simultaneous saccharification, filtration and fermentation (SSFF) : A novel method for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass

Simultaneous saccharification, filtration and fermentation (SSFF) was developed for lignocellulosic ethanol production. In SSFF, pretreated lignocellulosic material is enzymatically hydrolyzed in a reactor, while the suspension is continuously pumped through a cross-flow membrane. The retentate goes back to the hydrolysis vessel, while a clear sugar-rich filtrate continuously perfuses through the fermentation vessel before it is pumped back to the hydrolysis vessel. The capacity and life span of the cross-flow filter module was examined for 4 weeks using enzymatically hydrolyzed slurry, initially with 14.4% suspended solids, without clogging or fouling. An ethanol yield of 85.0% of the theoretical yield was obtained in SSFF and a flocculating strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was successfully reused for five cultivations of SSFF.

Continuous fermentation of undetoxified dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581 using cell recirculation.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581 was cultivated in a chemostat reactor with undetoxified dilute acid softwood hydrolysate as the only carbon and energy source. The effects of nutrient addition, dilution rate, cell recirculation, and microaerobicity were investigated. Fermentation of unsupplemented dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate at D = 0.10 h‐1 in an anaerobic continuous reactor led to washout. Addition of ammonium sulfate or yeast extract was insufficient for obtaining steady state. In contrast, dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate supplemented with complete mineral medium, except for the carbon and energy source, was fermentable under anaerobic steady‐state conditions at dilution rates up to 0.14 h‐1. Under these conditions, washout occurred at D = 0.15 h‐1. This was preceded by a drop in fermentative capacity and a very high specific ethanol production rate. Growth at all different dilution rates tested resulted in residual sugar in the chemostat. Cell recirculation (90%), achieved by cross‐flow filtration, increased the sugar conversion rate from 92% to 99% at D = 0.10 h‐1. Nutrient addition clearly improved the long‐term ethanol productivity in the recirculation cultures. Application of microaerobic conditions on the nutrient‐supplemented recirculation cultures resulted in a higher production of biomass, a higher cellular protein content, and improved fermentative capacity, which further improves the robustness of fermentation of undetoxified lignocellulose hydrolysate.

Detoxification of acid pretreated spruce hydrolysates with ferrous sulfate and hydrogen peroxide improves enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation.

The aim of the present work was to investigate whether a detoxification method already in use during waste water treatment could be functional also for ethanol production based on lignocellulosic substrates. Chemical conditioning of spruce hydrolysate with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) was shown to be an efficient strategy to remove significant amounts of inhibitory compounds and, simultaneously, to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentability of the substrates. Without treatment, the hydrolysates were hardly fermentable with maximum ethanol concentration below 0.4 g/l. In contrast, treatment by 2.5 mM FeSO₄ and 150 mM H₂O₂ yielded a maximum ethanol concentration of 8.3 g/l.