Ethanol fermentation by xylose-assimilating Saccharomyces cerevisiae using sugars in a rice straw liquid hydrolysate concentrated by nanofiltration

Novel cofactor regeneration-based magnetic metal-organic framework for cascade enzymatic conversion of biomass-derived bioethanol to acetoin

Upgrading biomass-derived bioethanol to higher-order alcohols using conventional biotechnological approaches is challenging. Herein, a novel, magnetic metal-organic-framework-based cofactor regeneration system was developed using ethanol dehydrogenase (EtDH:D46G), NADH oxidase (NOX), formolase (FLS:L482S), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) for converting rice straw-derived bioethanol to acetoin. A magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework-8@Fe3O4/NAD+ (ZIF-8@Fe3O4/NAD+) regeneration system for cell-free cascade reactions was introduced and used to encapsulate EtDH:D46G, NOX, and FLS:L482S (ENF). ZIF-8@Fe3O4/NAD+ENF created an efficient microenvironment for three-step enzyme cascades. Under the optimized conditions, the yield of acetoin from 100 mM bioethanol using ZIF-8@Fe3O4/NAD+ENF was 90.4 %. The regeneration system showed 97.1 % thermostability at 50 °C. The free enzymes retained only 16.3 % residual conversion, compared with 91.2 % for ZIF-8@Fe3O4/NAD+ENF after ten cycles. The magnetic metal-organic-framework-based cofactor regeneration system is suitable for enzymatic cascade biotransformations and can be extended to other cascade systems for potential biotechnological applications.

Chemical-free production of multiple high-value bioproducts from metabolically engineered transgenic sugarcane 'oilcane' bagasse and their recovery using nanofiltration

Bioenergy crops have potential for being a sustainable and renewable feedstock for biofuels and various value-added bioproducts. The study utilizes recently developed transgenic sugarcane ('oilcane') bagasse for chemical-free coproduction of high-value bioproducts, i.e., furfurals, HMF, acetic acid, cellulosic sugars, and vegetative lipids. Hydrothermal pretreatment was optimized at 210 °C for 5 min to coproduce 6.91%, 2.67%, 5.07%, 2.42% and 37.82% (w/w) furfurals, HMF, acetic acid, vegetative lipids, and cellulosic sugars, respectively from lignocellulosic biomass. Additionally, nanofiltration system in-series was successfully established to recover sugars, furfurals, HMF, and acetic acid from the pretreatment liquor. 1st nanofiltration with Duracid NF membrane rejected ∼99% sugars. Concentrated sugars with significantly reduced inhibitory products were obtained in retentate for fermentation. 2nd nanofiltration with NF90 membrane used permeate of 1st nanofiltration as feed and rejected ∼ 86% furfurals. The work demonstrates the feasibility of coproducing and recovering multiple biochemicals from lignocellulosic biomass.

Nanofiltration for separation and purification of saccharides from biomass

Saccharide production is critical to the development of biotechnology in the field of food and biofuel. The extraction of saccharide from biomass-based hydrolysate mixtures has become a trend due to low cost and abundant biomass reserves. Compared to conventional methods of fractionation and recovery of saccharides, nanofiltration (NF) has received considerable attention in recent decades because of its high selectivity and low energy consumption and environmental impact. In this review the advantages and challenges of NF based technology in the separation of saccharides are critically evaluated. Hybrid membrane processes, i.e., combining NF with ultrafiltration, can complement each other to provide an efficient approach for removal of unwanted solutes to obtain higher purity saccharides. However, use of NF membrane separation technology is limited due to irreversible membrane fouling that results in high capital and operating costs. Future development of NF membrane technology should therefore focus on improving material stability, antifouling ability and saccharide targeting selectivity, as well as on engineering aspects such as process optimisation and membrane module design.

Non-carbon loss long-term continuous lactic acid production from mixed sugars using thermophilic Enterococcus faecium QU 50

In this study, a non-sterile (open) continuous fermentation (OCF) process with no-carbon loss was developed to improve lactic acid (LA) productivity and operational stability from the co-utilization of lignocellulose-derived sugars by thermophilic Enterococcus faecium QU 50. The effects of different sugar mixtures on LA production were firstly investigated in conventional OCF at 50°C, pH 6.5 and a dilution rate of 0.20 hr^-1 . The xylose consumption ratio was greatly lower than that of glucose in fermentations with glucose/xylose mixtures, indicating apparent carbon catabolite repression (CCR). However, CCR could be efficiently eliminated by feeding solutions containing the cellobiose/xylose mixture. In OCF at a dilution rate ca. 0.10 hr^-1 , strain QU 50 produced 42.6 g L^-1 of l-LA with a yield of 0.912 g g^-1 -consumed sugars, LA yield of 0.655 g g^-1 based on mixed sugar-loaded, and a productivity of 4.31 g L^-1  hr^-1 from simulated energy cane hydrolyzate. In OCF with high cell density by cell recycling, simultaneous and complete co-utilization of sugars was achieved with stable LA production at 60.1 ± 3.25 g L^-1 with LA yield of 0.944 g g^-1 -consumed sugar and LA productivity of 6.49 ± 0.357 g L^-1  hr^-1 . Besides this, a dramatic increase in LA yield of 0.927 g g^-1 based on mixed sugar-loaded with prolonged operational stability for at least 500 hr (>20 days) was established. This robust system demonstrates an initial green step with a no-carbon loss under energy-saving toward the feasibility of sustainable LA production from lignocellulosic sugars.

Mathematical model to appraise the inhibitory effect of phenolic compounds derived from lignin for biobutanol production

This study aimed to establish a mathematical modeling to evaluate the inhibitory effect of phenolic derivatives on acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4. Vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and syringaldehyde were selected to represent guaiacyl, hydroxyphenyl, and syringyl phenols, respectively, to be examined in a series of fed-batch experiments. Results show the presence of phenolic derivatives blocked the pathway of the assimilation of organic acids and reduced cell growth and glucose utilization. The inhibition model projected that the levels of 0.13, 0.14, and 0.04 g L^-1 for vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and syringaldehyde, respectively, resulted in 25% inhibition of butanol production, whereas 100% inhibition was predicted at the levels of 4.94, 4.37, and 4.20 g L^-1 for vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and syringaldehyde, respectively. Syringaldehyde was more toxic than the other two compounds. The established model described that the phenolic compounds derived from different phenyl propane monomers of lignin severely obstructed biobutanol production.

Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration

Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

Improving the extracellular electron transfer of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 for enhanced bioelectricity production from biomass hydrolysate

Direct electricity production from biomass hydrolysate by microbial fuel cells (MFC) holds great promise for the development of the sustainable biomass industry.

Nanofiltration concentration of extracellular glutathione produced by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae

This study aimed to optimize extracellular glutathione production by a Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered strain and to concentrate the extracellular glutathione by membrane separation processes, including ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF). Synthetic defined (SD) medium containing 20 g L(-1) glucose was fermented for 48 h; the fermentation liquid was passed through an UF membrane to remove macromolecules. Glutathione in this permeate was concentrated for 48 h to 545.1 ± 33.6 mg L(-1) using the NF membrane; this was a significantly higher concentration than that obtained with yeast extract peptone dextrose (YPD) medium following 96 h NF concentration (217.9 ± 57.4 mg L(-1)). This higher glutathione concentration results from lower cellular growth in SD medium (final OD600 = 6.9 ± 0.1) than in YPD medium (final OD600 = 11.0 ± 0.6) and thus higher production of extracellular glutathione (16.0 ± 1.3 compared to 9.2 ± 2.1 mg L(-1) in YPD medium, respectively). Similar fermentation and membrane processing of sweet sorghum juice containing 20 g L(-1) total sugars provided 240.3 ± 60.6 mg L(-1) glutathione. Increased extracellular production of glutathione by this engineered strain in SD medium and subsequent UF permeation and NF concentration in shortend time may help realize industrial recovery of extracellular glutathione.

Increased ethanol production from sweet sorghum juice concentrated by a membrane separation process

The aim of this investigation was to attain high ethanol concentration by concentrating sweet sorghum juice using a two-step membrane separation process. Ultrafiltration permeation of the juice was used to remove residues, followed by nanofiltration concentration to increase the sugar concentration. The concentrated juice containing 180.0 g L(-1) sucrose, 59.3 g L(-1) glucose and 49.3 g L(-1) fructose supplemented with nitrogen sources (10 and 20 g L(-1) of yeast extract and polypeptone, respectively) was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 to produce 133.5 g L(-1) of ethanol (87.6% of theoretical yield) after 48 h fermentation. Importantly, the addition of lower concentrations of exogenous nitrogen sources (3 and 6 g L(-1) of yeast extract and polypeptone, respectively) or no exogenous nitrogen sources resulted in the production of 131.4 and 132.8 g L(-1) of ethanol (84.8% and 86.0% of theoretical yield), respectively, after 48 h fermentation.

Optimized membrane process to increase hemicellulosic ethanol production from pretreated rice straw by recombinant xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Oligomeric sugars in the liquid fraction of hot water-pretreated rice straw are more amenable to membrane process than monomeric sugars, as lower pressure is required. Following membrane process was employed: nanofiltration (NF) concentration → (dilution → NF concentration) × 2 times → enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) → ultrafiltration (UF) permeation [

IMPLICATION

NF for recovery of oligomeric sugars, dilution and NF for removal of low molecular weight fermentation inhibitors, UF for removal of high molecular weight fermentation inhibitors and recovery of monomeric sugars after EH]. This process provided the liquid fraction containing 111.4 g L(-1) of sugars, corresponding to 681.0mM as monomeric sugars, from the original liquid fraction (181.1mM monomeric sugars). Concentrations of low molecular weight fermentation inhibitors, acetic and formic acids, were decreased to 24% and 48%, respectively. Xylose-fermenting recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced 34.5 ± 2.2 g L(-1) ethanol from the 0.8 times liquid fraction (76% of theoretical yield).