Zhaohui Tong

Injection of air into the headspace improves fermentation of phosphoric acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse by Escherichia coli MM170

Microaeration (injecting air into the headspace) improved the fermentation of hemicellulose hydrolysates obtained from the phosphoric acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse at 170°C for 10 min. In addition, with 10% slurries of phosphoric acid pretreated bagasse (180°C, 10 min), air injection into the headspace promoted xylose utilization and increased ethanol yields from 0.16 to 0.20 g ethanol/g bagasse dry weight using a liquefaction plus simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation process (L+SScF). This process was scaled up to 80 L using slurries of acid pretreated bagasse (96 h incubation; 0.6L of air/min into the headspace) with ethanol yields of 312-347 L (82-92 gal) per tone (dry matter), corresponding to 0.25 and 0.27 g/g bagasse (dry weight). Injection of small amounts of air into the headspace may provide a convenient alternative to subsurface sparging that avoids problems of foaming, sparger hygiene, flotation of particulates, and phase separation.

Isolation and structural characterization of sugarcane bagasse lignin after dilute phosphoric acid plus steam explosion pretreatment and its effect on cellulose hydrolysis.

The structure of lignin after dilute phosphoric acid plus steam explosion pretreatment process of sugarcane bagasse in a pilot scale and the effect of the lignin extracted by ethanol on subsequent cellulose hydrolysis were investigated. The lignin structural changes caused by pretreatment were identified using advanced nondestructive techniques such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC), quantitative (13)C, and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The structural analysis revealed that ethanol extractable lignin preserved basic lignin structure, but had relatively lower amount of β-O-4 linkages, syringyl/guaiacyl units ratio (S/G), p-coumarate/ferulate ratio, and other ending structures. The results also indicated that approximately 8% of mass weight was extracted by pure ethanol. The bagasse after ethanol extraction had an approximate 22% higher glucose yield after enzyme hydrolysis compared to pretreated bagasse without extraction.

Effect of reduced sulfur compounds on the fermentation of phosphoric acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse by ethanologenic Escherichia coli.

The addition of reduced sulfur compounds (thiosulfate, cysteine, sodium hydrosulfite, and sodium metabisulfite) increased growth and fermentation of dilute acid hydrolysate of sugarcane bagasse by ethanologenic Escherichia coli (strains LY180, EMFR9, and MM160). With sodium metabisulfite (0.5mM), toxicity was sufficiently reduced that slurries of pretreated biomass (10% dry weight including fiber and solubles) could be fermented by E. coli strain MM160 without solid-liquid separation or cleanup of sugars. A 6-h liquefaction step was added to improve mixing. Sodium metabisulfite also caused spectral changes at wavelengths corresponding to furfural and soluble products from lignin. Glucose and cellobiose were rapidly metabolized. Xylose utilization was improved by sodium metabisulfite but remained incomplete after 144 h. The overall ethanol yield for this liquefaction plus simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation process was 0.20 g ethanol/g bagasse dry weight, 250 L/tonne (61 gal/US ton).

Biomimetic Fenton‐Catalyzed Lignin Depolymerization to High‐Value Aromatics and Dicarboxylic Acids

By mimicking natural lignin degradation systems, the Fenton catalyst (Fe(3+), H2O2) can effectively facilitate lignin depolymerization in supercritical ethanol (7 MPa, 250 °C) to give organic oils that consist of mono- and oligomeric aromatics, phenols, dicarboxylic acids, and their derivatives in yields up to (66.0±8.5) %. The thermal properties, functional groups, and surface chemistry of lignin before and after Fenton treatment were examined by thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, (31)P NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results suggest that the Fenton catalyst facilitates lignin depolymerization through cleavage of β-ether bonds between lignin residues. The formation of a lignin-iron chelating complex effectively depresses lignin recondensation; thus minimizing charcoal formation and enhancing the yield of liquid products.

A comparison of three pH control methods for revealing effects of undissociated butyric acid on specific butanol production rate in batch fermentation of Clostridium acetobutylicum

AbstractpH control has been essential for butanol production with Clostridium acetobutylicum. However, it is not very clear at what pH level the acid crash will occur, at what pH level butanol production will be dominant, and at what pH level butyric acid production will be prevailing. Furthermore, contradictory results have been reported about required acidic conditions for initiation of solventogenesis. In this study, with the aim of further understanding the role of undissociated butyric acid in butanol production, we investigated the correlation between undissociated butyric acid concentration and specific butanol production rate in batch fermentation of Clostridium acetobutylicum by comparing three pH control approaches: NaOH neutralization (at 12, 24 or 36 h), CaCO3 supplementation (2, 5, or 8 g/l) and NaOAc buffering (pH 4.6, 5.0 or 5.6). By neutralizing the fermentation pH to ~5.0 at different time, we observed that neutralization should take place at the beginning of exponential phase (12 h), and otherwise resulting in lower concentrations of undissociated butyric acid, cell biomass and final butanol. CaCO3 supplementation extended cell growth to 36 h and resulted in higher butyrate yield under 8 g/L of CaCO3. In the NaOAc buffering, the highest specific butanol rate (0.58 h−1) was associated with the highest undissociated butyric acid (1.92 g/L). The linear correlation of the undissociated butyric acid with the specific butanol production rates suggested the undissociated butyric acid could be the major driving force for butanol production.

Metabolomic Responses of Guard Cells and Mesophyll Cells to Bicarbonate

Anthropogenic CO2 presently at 400 ppm is expected to reach 550 ppm in 2050, an increment expected to affect plant growth and productivity. Paired stomatal guard cells (GCs) are the gate-way for water, CO2, and pathogen, while mesophyll cells (MCs) represent the bulk cell-type of green leaves mainly for photosynthesis. We used the two different cell types, i.e., GCs and MCs from canola (Brassica napus) to profile metabolomic changes upon increased CO2 through supplementation with bicarbonate (HCO3 -). Two metabolomics platforms enabled quantification of 268 metabolites in a time-course study to reveal short-term responses. The HCO3 - responsive metabolomes of the cell types differed in their responsiveness. The MCs demonstrated increased amino acids, phenylpropanoids, redox metabolites, auxins and cytokinins, all of which were decreased in GCs in response to HCO3 -. In addition, the GCs showed differential increases of primary C-metabolites, N-metabolites (e.g., purines and amino acids), and defense-responsive pathways (e.g., alkaloids, phenolics, and flavonoids) as compared to the MCs, indicating differential C/N homeostasis in the cell-types. The metabolomics results provide insights into plant responses and crop productivity under future climatic changes where elevated CO2 conditions are to take center-stage.

Dehydro-aromatization of cyclohexene-carboxylic acids by sulfuric acid: critical route for bio-based terephthalic acid synthesis

A novel dehydro-aromatization reaction under mild reaction conditions was successfully developed using sulfuric acid as a cost-effective and efficient oxidant. This reaction simplified the synthesis of terephthalic acid (TA, an important aromatic monomer precursor) from biomass-derived isoprene and acrylic acid.

Characterization of biomass residues and their amendment effects on water sorption and nutrient leaching in sandy soil

In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of two types of biomass residues (fermentation residues from a bioethanol process, FB; brown mill residues from a papermaking process, BM) as amendments for a sandy soil. The characteristics of these residues including specific surface areas, morphologies and nutrient sorption capacity were measured. The effects of biorefinery residues on water and nutrient retention were investigated in terms of different particle sizes and loadings. The results indicated that bio-based wastes FB and BM were able to significantly improve water and nutrient retention of sandy soil. The residues with larger surface areas had better water and nutrient retention capability. Specifically, in the addition of 10% loading, FB and BM was able to improve water retention by approximately 150% and 300%, while reduce 99% of ammonium and phosphate concentration in the leachate compare to the soil control, respectively.

Hydrogenolytic depolymerization of procyanidin polymers from hi-tannin sorghum bran.

Depolymerization of procyanidin polymers into oligomers enhances their bioavailability and bioactivity because oligomers are bioavailable. Hydrogenolysis was applied in this study to depolymerize hi-tannin sorghum bran procyanidin polymers into oligomers. The yield and composition of oligomers under different hydrogenolysis conditions was investigated. Results showed that raising temperature from 50 to 100 °C significantly increased total yield of oligomers. Higher temperatures (150 and 200 °C) produced monomers with lower yield. The highest yield of oligomers (38.8%) was obtained using 1 MPa hydrogen whereas 3 MPa hydrogen in reaction vessel decreased yield. Total yield of oligomers reached the highest at 1-3 h and then decreased with prolonged reaction time. Yield increased with palladium-on-carbon (Pd/C, a catalyst) amount from 0.5 to 3 mg and plateaued with Pd/C amount from 3 to 10 mg. The maximum yield of produced oligomers was achieved under 100 °C, 1 MPa hydrogen pressure, 1-3 h, and 3-10 mg Pd/C.

Disk Refining and Ultrasonication Treated Sugarcane Bagasse Residues for Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Bio-composites

Disk refining and ultrasonication treated sugarcane bagasse residues reclaimed from the waste stream of a simplified bioethanol process after fermentation were used to fabricate biobased composites with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by film casting. The morphologies and the size distributions of residue particles were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and various particle size analyzers. The results showed that the residue particle sizes were about hundreds nanometers to tens microns after disk refining treatment. After further treatment by ultrasonication, the particle sizes ranged from about tens of nanometers to several microns. The treated residues were expected to have a large surface area to reinforce PVA. The results indicated that the addition of treated fermentation residues significantly increased the tensile modulus of neat PVA with minimal impact on tensile strength. Furthermore, the PVA composites had higher thermal degradation temperature compared to neat PVA.