Lignocellulosic ethanol production at high-gravity: challenges and perspectives

Mechanistic insights into the liquefaction stage of enzyme-mediated biomass deconstruction

Effective enzyme-mediated viscosity reduction, disaggregation, or "liquefaction," is required to overcome the rheological challenges resulting from the fibrous, hygroscopic nature of lignocellulosic biomass, particularly at the high solids loadings that will be required for an economically viable process. However, the actual mechanisms involved in enzyme-mediated liquefaction, as determined by viscosity or yield stress reduction, have yet to be fully resolved. Particle fragmentation, interparticle interaction, material dilution, and water-retention capacity were compared for their ability to quantify enzyme-mediated liquefaction of model and more realistic pretreated biomass substrates. It was apparent that material dilution and particle fragmentation occurred simultaneously and that both mechanisms contributed to viscosity/yield stress reduction. However, their relative importance was dependent on the nature of the biomass substrate. Interparticle interaction and enzyme-mediated changes to these interactions was shown to have a significant effect on slurry rheology. Liquefaction was shown to result from the combined action of material dilution, particle fragmentation, and alteration of interactions at particle surfaces. However, the observed changes in water retention capacity did not correlate with yield stress reduction. The relative importance of each mechanism was significantly influenced by the nature of the biomass substrate and its physicochemical properties. An ongoing challenge is that mechanisms, such as refining, which enhance enzyme accessibility to the cellulosic component of the substrate, are detrimental to slurry rheology and will likely impede enzyme-mediated liquefaction when high substrate concentrations are used.

Evaluation of the solvent water effect on high solids saccharification of alkali-pretreated sugarcane bagasse

Solvent water is an essential factor for high solids enzymatic hydrolysis. To investigate its effect on substrate conversion efficiency in high solids hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse (SCB), oleyl alcohol was used to partially substitute the solvent water. The results in batch hydrolysis tests in which diverse ratio of solvent water was replaced found that the majority of the substrate was insoluble. Then high solids fed-batch hydrolysis with the reaction solution mixed with solvent water and oleyl alcohol in the ratio of 3:1 (solids concentration correspond to 24% (w/v)) was carried out at the final real solids loading of 18% (w/v). The produced sugars were found to be less than pure water system, which indicated that water played a significant role in high solids hydrolysis process, and solids effect was related to the solvent water content.

Acetic Acid Causes Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Induces the Unfolded Protein Response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Since acetic acid inhibits the growth and fermentation ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it is one of the practical hindrances to the efficient production of bioethanol from a lignocellulosic biomass. Although extensive information is available on yeast response to acetic acid stress, the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and unfolded protein response (UPR) has not been addressed. We herein demonstrated that acetic acid causes ER stress and induces the UPR. The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER and activation of Ire1p and Hac1p, an ER-stress sensor and ER stress-responsive transcription factor, respectively, were induced by a treatment with acetic acid stress (>0.2% v/v). Other monocarboxylic acids such as propionic acid and sorbic acid, but not lactic acid, also induced the UPR. Additionally, ire1Δ and hac1Δ cells were more sensitive to acetic acid than wild-type cells, indicating that activation of the Ire1p-Hac1p pathway is required for maximum tolerance to acetic acid. Furthermore, the combination of mild acetic acid stress (0.1% acetic acid) and mild ethanol stress (5% ethanol) induced the UPR, whereas neither mild ethanol stress nor mild acetic acid stress individually activated Ire1p, suggesting that ER stress is easily induced in yeast cells during the fermentation process of lignocellulosic hydrolysates. It was possible to avoid the induction of ER stress caused by acetic acid and the combined stress by adjusting extracellular pH.

Metabolic engineering strategies for optimizing acetate reduction, ethanol yield and osmotolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

Glycerol, whose formation contributes to cellular redox balancing and osmoregulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is an important by-product of yeast-based bioethanol production. Replacing the glycerol pathway by an engineered pathway for NAD⁺-dependent acetate reduction has been shown to improve ethanol yields and contribute to detoxification of acetate-containing media. However, the osmosensitivity of glycerol non-producing strains limits their applicability in high-osmolarity industrial processes. This study explores engineering strategies for minimizing glycerol production by acetate-reducing strains, while retaining osmotolerance.

RESULTS

GPD2 encodes one of two S. cerevisiae isoenzymes of NAD⁺-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH). Its deletion in an acetate-reducing strain yielded a fourfold lower glycerol production in anaerobic, low-osmolarity cultures but hardly affected glycerol production at high osmolarity. Replacement of both native G3PDHs by an archaeal NADP⁺-preferring enzyme, combined with deletion of ALD6, yielded an acetate-reducing strain the phenotype of which resembled that of a glycerol-negative gpd1Δ gpd2Δ strain in low-osmolarity cultures. This strain grew anaerobically at high osmolarity (1 mol L^-1 glucose), while consuming acetate and producing virtually no extracellular glycerol. Its ethanol yield in high-osmolarity cultures was 13% higher than that of an acetate-reducing strain expressing the native glycerol pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Deletion of GPD2 provides an attractive strategy for improving product yields of acetate-reducing S. cerevisiae strains in low, but not in high-osmolarity media. Replacement of the native yeast G3PDHs by a heterologous NADP⁺-preferring enzyme, combined with deletion of ALD6, virtually eliminated glycerol production in high-osmolarity cultures while enabling efficient reduction of acetate to ethanol. After further optimization of growth kinetics, this strategy for uncoupling the roles of glycerol formation in redox homeostasis and osmotolerance can be applicable for improving performance of industrial strains in high-gravity acetate-containing processes.

Enhancement of ethanol production from green liquor-ethanol-pretreated sugarcane bagasse by glucose-xylose cofermentation at high solid loadings with mixed Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

BACKGROUND

Efficient cofermentation of glucose and xylose is necessary for economically feasible bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Here, we demonstrate pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) with green liquor (GL) combined with ethanol (GL-Ethanol) by adding different GL amounts. The common Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CSC) and thermophilic S. cerevisiae (TSC) strains were used and different yeast cell mass ratios (CSC to TSC) were compared. The simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSF/SSCF) process was performed by 5-20% (w/v) dry substrate (DS) solid loadings to determine optimal conditions for the co-consumption of glucose and xylose.

RESULTS

Compared to previous studies that tested fermentation of glucose using only the CSC, we obtained higher ethanol yield and concentration (92.80% and 23.22 g/L) with 1.5 mL GL/g-DS GL-Ethanol-pretreated SCB at 5% (w/v) solid loading and a CSC-to-TSC yeast cell mass ratio of 1:2 (w/w). Using 10% (w/v) solid loading under the same conditions, the ethanol concentration increased to 42.53 g/L but the ethanol yield decreased to 84.99%. In addition, an increase in the solid loading up to a certain point led to an increase in the ethanol concentration from 1.5 mL GL/g-DS-pretreated SCB. The highest ethanol concentration (68.24 g/L) was obtained with 15% (w/v) solid loading, using a CSC-to-TSC yeast cell mass ratio of 1:3 (w/w).

CONCLUSIONS

GL-Ethanol pretreatment is a promising pretreatment method for improving both glucan and xylan conversion efficiencies of SCB. There was a competitive relationship between the two yeast strains, and the glucose and xylose utilization ability of the TSC was better than that of the CSC. Ethanol concentration was obviously increased at high solid loading, but the yield decreased as a result of an increase in the viscosity and inhibitor levels in the fermentation system. Finally, the SSCF of GL-Ethanol-pretreated SCB with mixed S. cerevisiae strains increased ethanol concentration and was an effective conversion process for ethanol production at high solid loading.

Complete Genome Sequences of the Xylose-Fermenting Candida intermedia Strains CBS 141442 and PYCC 4715

Sustainable biofuel production from lignocellulosic materials requires efficient and complete use of all abundant sugars in the biomass, including xylose. Here, we report on the de novo genome assemblies of two strains of the xylose-fermenting yeast Candida intermedia: CBS 141442 and PYCC 4715.

Integrated approach for selecting efficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae for industrial lignocellulosic fermentations: Importance of yeast chassis linked to process conditions

In this work, four robust yeast chassis isolated from industrial environments were engineered with the same xylose metabolic pathway. The recombinant strains were physiologically characterized in synthetic xylose and xylose-glucose medium, on non-detoxified hemicellulosic hydrolysates of fast-growing hardwoods (Eucalyptus and Paulownia) and agricultural residues (corn cob and wheat straw) and on Eucalyptus hydrolysate at different temperatures. Results show that the co-consumption of xylose-glucose was dependent on the yeast background. Moreover, heterogeneous results were obtained among different hydrolysates and temperatures for each individual strain pointing to the importance of designing from the very beginning a tailor-made yeast considering the specific raw material and process.

Single-step, single-organism bioethanol production and bioconversion of lignocellulose waste materials by phlebioid fungal species

Ethanol production from non-pretreated lignocellulose was carried out in a consolidated bioprocess with wood-decay fungi of phlebioid Polyporales. Ethanol production was attempted on glucose, spruce wood sawdust and waste core board. Substantial quantities of ethanol were achieved, and isolate Phlebia radiata 0043 produced 5.9g/L of ethanol reaching the yield of 10.4% ethanol from core board lignocellulose substrate. Acidic initial culture conditions (pH 3) induced ethanol fermentation compared to the more neutral environment. Together with bioethanol, the fungi were able to produce organic acids such as oxalate and fumarate, thus broadening their capacity and applicability as efficient organisms to be utilized for bioconversion of various lignocelluloses. In conclusion, fungi of Phlebia grow on, convert and saccharify solid lignocellulose waste materials without pre-treatments resulting in accumulation of ethanol and organic acids. These findings will aid in applying fungal biotechnology for production of biofuels and biocompounds.

Production of high concentrated cellulosic ethanol by acetone/water oxidized pretreated beech wood

BACKGROUND

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and inexpensive resource for biofuel production. Alongside its biotechnological conversion, pretreatment is essential to enable efficient enzymatic hydrolysis by making cellulose susceptible to cellulases. Wet oxidation of biomass, such as acetone/water oxidation, that employs hot acetone, water, and oxygen, has been found to be an attractive pretreatment method for removing lignin while producing less degradation products. The remaining enriched cellulose fraction has the potential to be utilized under high gravity enzymatic saccharification and fermentation processes for the cost-competing production of bioethanol.

RESULTS

Beech wood residual biomass was pretreated following an acetone/water oxidation process aiming at the production of high concentration of cellulosic ethanol. The effect of pressure, reaction time, temperature, and acetone-to-water ratio on the final composition of the pretreated samples was studied for the efficient utilization of the lignocellulosic feedstock. The optimal conditions were acetone/water ratio 1:1, 40 atm initial pressure of 40 vol% O₂ gas, and 64 atm at reaction temperature of 175 °C for 2 h incubation. The pretreated beech wood underwent an optimization step studying the effect of enzyme loading and solids content on the enzymatic liquefaction/saccharification prior to fermentation. In a custom designed free-fall mixer at 50 °C for either 6 or 12 h of prehydrolysis using an enzyme loading of 9 mg/g dry matter at 20 wt% initial solids content, high ethanol concentration of 75.9 g/L was obtained.

CONCLUSION

The optimization of the pretreatment process allowed the efficient utilization of beech wood residual biomass for the production of high concentrations of cellulosic ethanol, while obtaining lignin that can be upgraded towards high-added-value chemicals. The threshold of 4 wt% ethanol concentration that is required for the sustainable bioethanol production was surpassed almost twofold, underpinning the efficient conversion of biomass to ethanol and bio-based chemicals on behalf of the biorefinery concept.

Sustaining fermentation in high-gravity ethanol production by feeding yeast to a temperature-profiled multifeed simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation of wheat straw

BACKGROUND

Considerable progress is being made in ethanol production from lignocellulosic feedstocks by fermentation, but negative effects of inhibitors on fermenting microorganisms are still challenging. Feeding preadapted cells has shown positive effects by sustaining fermentation in high-gravity simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF). Loss of cell viability has been reported in several SSCF studies on different substrates and seems to be the main reason for the declining ethanol production toward the end of the process. Here, we investigate how the combination of yeast preadaptation and feeding, cell flocculation, and temperature reduction improves the cell viability in SSCF of steam pretreated wheat straw.

RESULTS

More than 50% cell viability was lost during the first 24 h of high-gravity SSCF. No beneficial effects of adding selected nutrients were observed in shake flask SSCF. Ethanol concentrations greater than 50 g L^-1 led to significant loss of viability and prevented further fermentation in SSCF. The benefits of feeding preadapted yeast cells were marginal at later stages of SSCF. Yeast flocculation did not improve the viability but simplified cell harvest and improved the feasibility of the cell feeding strategy in demo scale. Cultivation at 30 °C instead of 35 °C increased cell survival significantly on solid media containing ethanol and inhibitors. Similarly, in multifeed SSCF, cells maintained the viability and fermentation capacity when the temperature was reduced from 35 to 30 °C during the process, but hydrolysis yields were compromised. By combining the yeast feeding and temperature change, an ethanol concentration of 65 g L^-1, equivalent to 70% of the theoretical yield, was obtained in multifeed SSCF on pretreated wheat straw. In demo scale, the process with flocculating yeast and temperature profile resulted in 5% (w/w) ethanol, equivalent to 53% of the theoretical yield.

CONCLUSIONS

Multifeed SSCF was further developed by means of a flocculating yeast and a temperature-reduction profile. Ethanol toxicity is intensified in the presence of lignocellulosic inhibitors at temperatures that are beneficial to hydrolysis in high-gravity SSCF. The counteracting effects of temperature on cell viability and hydrolysis call for more tolerant microorganisms, enzyme systems with lower temperature optimum, or full optimization of the multifeed strategy with temperature profile.

Two-step size reduction and post-washing of steam exploded corn stover improving simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for ethanol production

The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of corn stover biomass for ethanol production was performed by integrating steam explosion (SE) pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation. Higher SE pretreatment severity and two-step size reduction increased the specific surface area, swollen volume and water holding capacity of steam exploded corn stover (SECS) and hence facilitated the efficiency of hydrolysis and fermentation. The ethanol production and yield in SSF increased with the decrease of particle size and post-washing of SECS prior to fermentation to remove the inhibitors. Under the SE conditions of 1.5MPa and 9min using 2.0cm particle size, glucan recovery and conversion to glucose by enzymes were 86.2% and 87.2%, respectively. The ethanol concentration and yield were 45.0g/L and 85.6%, respectively. With this two-step size reduction and post-washing strategy, the water utilization efficiency, sugar recovery and conversion, and ethanol concentration and yield by the SSF process were improved.

Lignocellulose-Biorefinery: Ethanol-Focused

The development prospects of the world markets for petroleum and other liquid fuels are diverse and partly contradictory. However, comprehensive changes for the energy supply of the future are essential. Notwithstanding the fact that there are still very large deposits of energy resources from a geological point of view, the finite nature of conventional oil reserves is indisputable. To reduce our dependence on oil, the EU, the USA, and other major economic zones rely on energy diversification. For this purpose, alternative materials and technologies are being sought, and is most obvious in the transport sector. The objective is to progressively replace fossil fuels with renewable and more sustainable fuels. In this respect, biofuels have a pre-eminent position in terms of their capability of blending with fossil fuels and being usable in existing cars without substantial modification. Ethanol can be considered as the primary renewable liquid fuel. In this chapter enzymes, micro-organisms, and processes for ethanol production based on renewable resources are described.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass from low to high solids loading

Solid state enzymatic hydrolysis (SSEH) has many advantages, such as higher sugar concentration, lower operating costs, and less energy input. It should be a potential approach for the industrial application of lignocellulosic ethanol. The purpose of this work is to review the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass from low to high solids loading and introduce its both challenges and perspectives. The limitations of SSEH, including inhibition effects, water constraint, and rheology characteristic, are summarized firstly. Various strategies for overcoming these limitations are proposed correspondingly. Fed batch process and its feeding strategy to improve the SSEH efficiency are then discussed. Finally, several intensification methods, hydrolysis reactor, and pilot- and demonstration-scale operations of SSEH are described. In-depth analysis of main limitations and development of novel intensification methods and reactors should provide an effective way to achieve large-scale implementation of SSEH.

Combined alkali and hydrothermal pretreatments for oat straw valorization within a biorefinery concept

The aim of this work was the evaluation of lime pretreatment combined or not with previous step of autohydrolysis for oat straw valorization. Under selected conditions of lime pretreatment, 96% of glucan and 77% of xylan were recovered and 42% of delignification was achieved. Xylose fermentation to ethanol by metabolic engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae (MEC1133) strain improved the ethanol production by 22% achieving 41g/L. Alternatively, first step of autohydrolysis (S0=4.22) allowed a high oligosaccharides recovery (68%) and subsequent lime pretreatment attained a 57% of delignification and 99% of glucan to glucose conversion. Oat straw processed by autohydrolysis and lime pretreatment reached the maximal ethanol concentration (50g/L). Both strategies led to oat straw valorization into bioethanol, oligosaccharides and lignin indicating that these pretreatments are adequate as a first stage within an oat straw biorefinery.

Prewashing enhances the liquid hot water pretreatment efficiency of waste wheat straw with high free ash content

The effect of prewashing process prior to the liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment of high free ash content waste wheat straw (WWS) was investigated. It was found that prewashing process decreased the ash content of WWS greatly, from 29.48% to 9.82%. This contributed to the lower pH value of prehydrolyzate and higher xylan removal in the following LHW pretreatment. More importantly, the prewashing process effectively increased the cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pretreated WWS, from 53.04% to 84.15%. The acid buffering capacity (ABC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of raw and prewashed WWS were examined. The majority of free ash removal from WWS by prewashing resulted in the decrease of the ABC of the WWS from 211.74 to 61.81mmol/pH-kg, and potentially enhancing the efficiency of the follow-up LHW pretreatment.

Anaerobic and sequential aerobic production of high-titer ethanol and single cell protein from NaOH-pretreated corn stover by a genome shuffling-modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain

In this study, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae recombinant strain 14 was constructed through genome shuffling method by transferring the whole genomic DNA of Candida intermedia strain 23 into a thermo-tolerant S. cerevisiae strain. The recombinant strain 14 combined the good natures of both parent strains that efficiently produced ethanol from glucose and single cell protein from xylose with 54.6% crude protein and all essential amino acids except cysteine at 35°C. Importantly, the recombinant strain 14 produced 64.07g/L ethanol from 25%(w/v) NaOH-pretreated and washed corn stover with the ethanol yield of 0.26g/g total stover by fed-batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation and produced 66.50g/L dry cell mass subsequently from the residual hydrolysate and ethanol. Therefore, this study represents a feasible method to comprehensively utilize hexose and pentose in lignocellulosic materials.

Towards efficient bioethanol production from agricultural and forestry residues: Exploration of unique natural microorganisms in combination with advanced strain engineering

Production of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks such as agricultural and forestry residues is receiving increasing attention due to the unsustainable supply of fossil fuels. Three key challenges include high cellulase production cost, toxicity of the cellulosic hydrolysate to microbial strains, and poor ability of fermenting microorganisms to utilize certain fermentable sugars in the hydrolysate. In this article, studies on searching of natural microbial strains for production of unique cellulase for biorefinery of agricultural and forestry wastes, as well as development of strains for improved cellulase production were reviewed. In addition, progress in the construction of yeast strains with improved stress tolerance and the capability to fully utilize xylose and glucose in the cellulosic hydrolysate was also summarized. With the superior microbial strains for high titer cellulase production and efficient utilization of all fermentable sugars in the hydrolysate, economic biofuels production from agricultural residues and forestry wastes can be realized.

Mechanical property of different corn stover morphological fractions and its correlations with high solids enzymatic hydrolysis by periodic peristalsis

Selective structure fractionation combined with periodic peristalsis was exploited to improve the conversion performance of corn stover. The increase of glucan and lignin content and the decrease of xylan content in stem pith were highest after SE, whereas they were lowest in stem node. Glucan conversion increased in this order: steam node<stem rind<whole corn stover (WCS)<stem pith<leaf sheath<leaf. Glucan conversion using periodic peristalsis increased by 10-17% before 24h compared with that using incubator shaker. Stem pith, leaf sheath, leaf, and WCS showed lower hardness and total work in texture profile analysis, resulting in higher glucan conversion compared with stem node and stem rind. Periodic peristalsis reduced hardness and total work before 24h, which was consistent with increased glucan conversion. Periodic peristalsis was an effective strategy to increase high solids enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of different corn stover morphological fractions.

Periodic peristalsis releasing constrained water in high solids enzymatic hydrolysis of steam exploded corn stover

Periodic peristalsis was used to release water constraint and increase high solids enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. Glucan and xylan conversion in periodic peristalsis enzymatic hydrolysis (PPEH) at 21% solid loading increased by 5.2-6.4% and 6.8-8.8% compared with that in incubator shaker enzymatic hydrolysis (ISEH), respectively. Hydrolysis kinetics suggested that sugars conversion significantly increased within 24h in PPEH compared with ISEH. The peak height of main water pool increased by 7.7-43.1% within 24h in PPEH compared with ISEH. The increases in peak height of main water pool were consistent with the increases in glucan conversion. Submicroscopic particulates and macro granule residues contributed greatly to water constraint compared with glucose, xylose, ethanol, and Tween 80. Smaller particle size and longer residence time resulted in lower water constraint and facilitated the enzymatic hydrolysis performance. Periodic peristalsis was an effective method to reduce water constraint and increase high solids enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency.

Impacts of lignocellulose-derived inhibitors on L-lactic acid fermentation by Rhizopus oryzae

Inhibitors generated in the pretreatment and hydrolysis of corn stover and corn cob were identified. In general, they inhibited cell growth, lactate dehydrogenase, and lactic acid production but with less or no adverse effect on alcohol dehydrogenase and ethanol production in batch fermentation by Rhizopus oryzae. Furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) were highly toxic at 0.5-1 g L(-1), while formic and acetic acids at less than 4 g L(-1) and levulinic acid at 10 g L(-1) were not toxic. Among the phenolic compounds at 1 g L(-1), trans-cinnamic acid and syringaldehyde had the highest toxicity while syringic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids were not toxic. Although these inhibitors were present at concentrations much lower than their separately identified toxic levels, lactic acid fermentation with the hydrolysates showed much inferior performance compared to the control without inhibitor, suggesting synergistic or compounded effects of the lignocellulose-degraded compounds on inhibiting lactic acid fermentation.

Lignocellulosic ethanol production by starch-base industrial yeast under PEG detoxification

Cellulosic ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass offers a sustainable solution for transition from fossil based fuels to renewable alternatives. However, a few long-standing technical challenges remain to be addressed in the development of an economically viable fermentation process from lignocellulose. Such challenges include the needs to improve yeast tolerance to toxic inhibitory compounds and to achieve high fermentation efficiency with minimum detoxification steps after a simple biomass pretreatment. Here we report an in-situ detoxification strategy by PEG exo-protection of an industrial dry yeast (starch-base). The exo-protected yeast cells displayed remarkably boosted vitality with high tolerance to toxic inhibitory compounds, and with largely improved ethanol productivity from crude hydrolysate derived from a pretreated lignocellulose. The PEG chemical exo-protection makes the industrial S. cerevisiae yeast directly applicable for the production of cellulosic ethanol with substantially improved productivity and yield, without of the need to use genetically modified microorganisms.

Simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation for improving the xylose utilization of steam exploded corn stover at high solid loading

Simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) of steam exploded corn stover (SECS) was investigated at 5-25% solid loadings compared with other conversion processes. SECS was washed with a 15-fold excess of deionized water to remove inhibitors of hydrolysis and fermentation. The concentration, yield, and productivity of ethanol was 34.3g/L, 90.0%, 2.61g/L/h in the co-fermentation of 60g/L glucose and 10g/L xylose by Saccharomyces cerevisiae IPE003. Ethanol concentration and productivity increased with increasing solid loading while ethanol yield decreased in all conversion processes of SECS. Glucan and xylan conversion was 82.0% and 82.1% in SSCF at 20% solid loading, respectively, while the concentration, yield and productivity of ethanol was 60.8g/L, 75.3% and 0.63g/L/h. The feeding strategy of SECS addition within 24h improved the SSCF performance. Therefore, SSCF increased ethanol productivity and was an effective conversion process for ethanol production at high solid loading.

A GH115 α-glucuronidase from Schizophyllum commune contributes to the synergistic enzymatic deconstruction of softwood glucuronoarabinoxylan

BACKGROUND

Lignocellulosic biomass from softwood represents a valuable resource for the production of biofuels and bio-based materials as alternatives to traditional pulp and paper products. Hemicelluloses constitute an extremely heterogeneous fraction of the plant cell wall, as their molecular structures involve multiple monosaccharide components, glycosidic linkages, and decoration patterns. The complete enzymatic hydrolysis of wood hemicelluloses into monosaccharides is therefore a complex biochemical process that requires the activities of multiple degradative enzymes with complementary activities tailored to the structural features of a particular substrate. Glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX) is a major hemicellulose component in softwood, and its structural complexity requires more enzyme specificities to achieve complete hydrolysis compared to glucuronoxylans from hardwood and arabinoxylans from grasses.

RESULTS

We report the characterisation of a recombinant α-glucuronidase (Agu115) from Schizophyllum commune capable of removing (4-O-methyl)-glucuronic acid ((Me)GlcA) residues from polymeric and oligomeric xylan. The enzyme is required for the complete deconstruction of spruce glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX) and acts synergistically with other xylan-degrading enzymes, specifically a xylanase (Xyn10C), an α-l-arabinofuranosidase (AbfA), and a β-xylosidase (XynB). Each enzyme in this mixture showed varying degrees of potentiation by the other activities, likely due to increased physical access to their respective target monosaccharides. The exo-acting Agu115 and AbfA were unable to remove all of their respective target side chain decorations from GAX, but their specific activity was significantly boosted by the addition of the endo-Xyn10C xylanase. We demonstrate that the proposed enzymatic cocktail (Agu115 with AbfA, Xyn10C and XynB) achieved almost complete conversion of GAX to arabinofuranose (Araf), xylopyranose (Xylp), and MeGlcA monosaccharides. Addition of Agu115 to the enzymatic cocktail contributes specifically to 25 % of the conversion. However, traces of residual oligosaccharides resistant to this combination of enzymes were still present after deconstruction, due to steric hindrances to enzyme access to the substrate.

CONCLUSIONS

Our GH115 α-glucuronidase is capable of finely tailoring the molecular structure of softwood GAX, and contributes to the almost complete saccharification of GAX in synergy with other exo- and endo-xylan-acting enzymes. This has great relevance for the cost-efficient production of biofuels from softwood lignocellulose.

Structure dependent toxicity of lignin phenolics and PEG detoxification in VHG ethanol fermentation

The inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds on ethanol fermentation were alleviated by intermolecular hydrogen bond of phenolic compounds with PEGs.

Life cycle impacts of ethanol production from spruce wood chips under high-gravity conditions

BACKGROUND

Development of more sustainable biofuel production processes is ongoing, and technology to run these processes at a high dry matter content, also called high-gravity conditions, is one option. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of such a technology currently in development for the production of bio-ethanol from spruce wood chips.

RESULTS

The cradle-to-gate LCA used lab results from a set of 30 experiments (or process configurations) in which the main process variable was the detoxification strategy applied to the pretreated feedstock material. The results of the assessment show that a process configuration, in which washing of the pretreated slurry is the detoxification strategy, leads to the lowest environmental impact of the process. Enzyme production and use are the main contributors to the environmental impact in all process configurations, and strategies to significantly reduce this contribution are enzyme recycling and on-site enzyme production. Furthermore, a strong linear correlation between the ethanol yield of a configuration and its environmental impact is demonstrated, and the selected environmental impacts show a very strong cross-correlation ([Formula: see text] in all cases) which may be used to reduce the number of impact categories considered from four to one (in this case, global warming potential). Lastly, a comparison with results of an LCA of ethanol production under high-gravity conditions using wheat straw shows that the environmental performance does not significantly differ when using spruce wood chips. For this comparison, it is shown that eutrophication potential also needs to be considered due to the fertilizer use in wheat cultivation.

CONCLUSIONS

The LCA points out the environmental hotspots in the ethanol production process, and thus provides input to the further development of the high-gravity technology. Reducing the number of impact categories based only on cross-correlations should be done with caution. Knowledge of the analyzed system provides further input to the choice of impact categories.

Examining the role of particle size on ammonia-based bioprocessing of maize stover

The role of particle size in carbohydrate fractionation upon pretreatment and glucan yields upon enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated at two different temperatures, to examine the possibility of pretreating under milder conditions smaller particles, in order to satisfy pilot-scale operational constraints. Maize stover was knife-milled through 1-mm and 0.5-mm screens and pretreated by soaking in aqueous ammonia pretreatment at 60 or 110°C for 6 h. Pretreated solids were analyzed for composition and a material balance calculated for glucan, xylan, and lignin. At 60°C, milling resulted in greater delignification compared to unmilled biomass. Delignification was more uniform at 110°C. Pretreated solids were washed and cellulase hydrolysis carried out at 10% w/w solids loading, with low and high enzyme loadings. Liquid samples were drawn and concentration data developed through HPLC to calculate 48-h glucan and xylan hydrolytic yields. The differences in hydrolytic yield between milled and unmilled treatments were found to vary with pretreatment temperature and enzyme loading. The results show that while particle size impacts carbohydrate recovery and hydrolytic yield, it is less important in bioprocessing than pretreatment temperature and enzyme loading, possibly owing to the particles' morphology rather than the size.

Sphingolipids contribute to acetic acid resistance in Zygosaccharomyces bailii

Lignocellulosic raw material plays a crucial role in the development of sustainable processes for the production of fuels and chemicals. Weak acids such as acetic acid and formic acid are troublesome inhibitors restricting efficient microbial conversion of the biomass to desired products. To improve our understanding of weak acid inhibition and to identify engineering strategies to reduce acetic acid toxicity, the highly acetic‐acid‐tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii was studied. The impact of acetic acid membrane permeability on acetic acid tolerance in Z. bailii was investigated with particular focus on how the previously demonstrated high sphingolipid content in the plasma membrane influences acetic acid tolerance and membrane permeability. Through molecular dynamics simulations, we concluded that membranes with a high content of sphingolipids are thicker and more dense, increasing the free energy barrier for the permeation of acetic acid through the membrane. Z. bailii cultured with the drug myriocin, known to decrease cellular sphingo­lipid levels, exhibited significant growth inhibition in the presence of acetic acid, while growth in medium without acetic acid was unaffected by the myriocin addition. Furthermore, following an acetic acid pulse, the intracellular pH decreased more in myriocin‐treated cells than in control cells. This indicates a higher inflow rate of acetic acid and confirms that the reduction in growth of cells cultured with myriocin in the medium with acetic acid was due to an increase in membrane permeability, thereby demonstrating the importance of a high fraction of sphingolipids in the membrane of Z. bailii to facilitate acetic acid resistance; a property potentially transferable to desired production organisms suffering from weak acid stress. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 744–753. © 2015 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Combination of high solids loading pretreatment and ethanol fermentation of whole slurry of pretreated rice straw to obtain high ethanol titers and yields

In cellulosic ethanol production using lignocellulose, an increase in biomass solids loading during the pretreatment process significantly affects the final ethanol titer and the production cost. In this study, pretreatment using rice straw at high solids loading (20% (w/v)) was evaluated, using maleic acid as a catalyst. After pretreatment at optimal conditions of 190°C, 20 min, and 0.2% or 5% (w/v) maleic acid, the highest enzymatic digestibility obtained was over 80%. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of the whole slurry of pretreated rice straw in the presence of activated carbon to separate inhibitory compounds generated a high ethanol yield of 62.8%, based on the initial glucan in unpretreated rice straw. These findings suggest that high solids loading pretreatment using maleic acid and SSF of the whole slurry of pretreated rice straw can be combined to improve the process economics of ethanol production.

Simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation of dry diluted acid pretreated corn stover at high dry matter loading: Overcoming the inhibitors by non-tolerant yeast

Dry dilute acid pretreatment (DDAP) is a promising method for lignocellulose bioconversion, although inhibitors generated during the pretreatment impede the fermentation severely. We developed the simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SScF) of DDAP pretreated biomass at high solid loading using xylose fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae, SyBE005. Effect of temperature on SScF showed that ethanol yield at 34°C was 10.2% higher than that at 38°C. Ethanol concentration reached 29.5 g/L at 15% (w/w) dry matter loading, while SScF almost ceased at the beginning at 25% (w/w) dry matter loading of DDAP pretreated corn stover. According to the effect of the diluted hydrolysate on the fermentation of strain SyBE005, a fed-batch mode was developed for the SScF of DDAP pretreated corn stover with 25% dry matter loading without detoxification, and 40.0 g/L ethanol was achieved. In addition, high yeast inoculation improved xylose utilization and the final ethanol concentration reached 47.2 g/L.

A process for energy-efficient high-solids fed-batch enzymatic liquefaction of cellulosic biomass

The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass is a key step in the biochemical production of fuels and chemicals. Economically feasible large-scale implementation of the process requires operation at high solids loadings, i.e., biomass concentrations >15% (w/w). At increasing solids loadings, however, biomass forms a high viscosity slurry that becomes increasingly challenging to mix and severely mass transfer limited, which limits further addition of solids. To overcome these limitations, we developed a fed-batch process controlled by the yield stress and its changes during liquefaction of the reaction mixture. The process control relies on an in-line, non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rheometer to monitor real-time evolution of yield stress during liquefaction. Additionally, we demonstrate that timing of enzyme addition relative to biomass addition influences process efficiency, and the upper limit of solids loading is ultimately limited by end-product inhibition as soluble glucose and cellobiose accumulate in the liquid phase.

Optimization of uncatalyzed steam explosion pretreatment of rapeseed straw for biofuel production

Rapeseed straw constitutes an agricultural residue with great potential as feedstock for ethanol production. In this work, uncatalyzed steam explosion was carried out as a pretreatment to increase the enzymatic digestibility of rapeseed straw. Experimental statistical design and response surface methodology were used to evaluate the influence of the temperature (185-215°C) and the process time (2.5-7.5min). According to the rotatable central composite design applied, 215°C and 7.5min were confirmed to be the optimal conditions, considering the maximization of enzymatic hydrolysis yield as optimization criterion. These conditions led to a maximum yield of 72.3%, equivalent to 81% of potential glucose in pretreated solid. Different configurations for bioethanol production from steam exploded rapeseed straw were investigated using the pretreated solid obtained under optimal conditions as a substrate. As a relevant result, concentrations of ethanol as high as 43.6g/L (5.5% by volume) were obtained as a consequence of using 20% (w/v) solid loading, equivalent to 12.4g ethanol/100g biomass.