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Liu Y, Chen L, Duan Y, Li R, Yang Z, Liu S, Li G. Recent progress and prospects for chain elongation of transforming biomass waste into medium-chain fatty acids. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 355:141823. [PMID: 38552798 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Chain elongation technology utilises microorganisms in anaerobic digestion to transform waste biomass into medium-chain fatty acids that have greater economic value. This innovative technology expands upon traditional anaerobic digestion methods, requiring abundant substrates that serve as electron donors and acceptors, and inoculating microorganisms with chain elongation functions. While this process may result in the production of by-products and elicit competitive responses, toxicity suppression of microorganisms by substrates and products remains a significant obstacle to the industrialisation of chain elongation technology. This study provides a comprehensive overview of existing research on widely employed electron donors and their synthetic reactions, competitive reactions, inoculum selection, toxicity inhibition of substrates and products, and increased chain elongation approaches. Additionally, it presents actionable recommendations for future research and development endeavours in this domain, intending to inspire and guide researchers in advancing the frontiers of chain elongation technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhao Liu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China.
| | - Long Chen
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China
| | - Yacong Duan
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China
| | - Ruihua Li
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China
| | - Ziyan Yang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China
| | - Shuli Liu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China
| | - Guoting Li
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China
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Villegas-Rodríguez SB, Arreola-Vargas J, Buitrón G. Influence of pH and temperature on the performance and microbial community during the production of medium-chain carboxylic acids using winery effluents as substrate. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-33103-5. [PMID: 38558339 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33103-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Winery effluents containing high ethanol concentrations and diverse organic matter are ideal substrates for producing medium-chain carboxylic acids via fermentation and chain elongation. However, the process needs to be better understood. This study presents novel insights into the bioconversion mechanisms of medium-chain carboxylic acids by correlating fermentation and chain elongation kinetic profiles with the study of microbial communities at different pH (5 to 7) conditions and temperatures (30 to 40 °C). It was found that high productivities of MCCA were obtained using a native culture and winery effluents as a natural substrate. Minor pH variations significantly affected the metabolic pathway of the microorganisms for MCCA production. The maximal productivities of hexanoic (715 mg/L/d) and octanoic (350 mg/L/d) acids were found at pH 6 and 35 °C. Results evidence that the presence of Clostridium, Bacteroides, and Negativicutes promotes the high productions of MCCA. The formation of heptanoic acid was favor when Mogibacterium and Burkholderia were present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon B Villegas-Rodríguez
- Laboratory for Research On Advanced Processes for Water Treatment, Unidad Académica Juriquilla, Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, 76230, Queretaro, Mexico
| | - Jorge Arreola-Vargas
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Germán Buitrón
- Laboratory for Research On Advanced Processes for Water Treatment, Unidad Académica Juriquilla, Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, 76230, Queretaro, Mexico.
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3
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Robles-Iglesias R, Fernández-Blanco C, Nicaud JM, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Unlocking the potential of one-carbon gases (CO 2, CO) for concomitant bioproduction of β-carotene and lipids. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 271:115950. [PMID: 38211510 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.115950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the use of a Yarrowia lipolytica strain for the bioconversion of syngas-derived acetic acid into β-carotene and lipids. A two-stage process was employed, starting with the acetogenic fermentation of syngas by Clostridium aceticum, metabolising CO, CO2, H2, to produce acetic acid, which is then utilized by Y. lipolytica for simultaneous lipid and β-carotene synthesis. The research demonstrates that acetic acid concentration plays a pivotal role in modulating lipid profiles and enhancing β-carotene production, with increased acetic acid consumption leading to higher yields of these compounds. This approach showcases the potential of using one-carbon gases as substrates in bioprocesses for generating valuable bioproducts, providing a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to more conventional feedstocks and substrates, such as sugars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Robles-Iglesias
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Interdisciplinary Centre of Chemistry and Biology - Centro Interdisciplinar de Química y Biología (CICA), BIOENGIN group, University of La Coruña, Rúa da Fraga 10, La Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - Carla Fernández-Blanco
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Interdisciplinary Centre of Chemistry and Biology - Centro Interdisciplinar de Química y Biología (CICA), BIOENGIN group, University of La Coruña, Rúa da Fraga 10, La Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - Jean-Marc Nicaud
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - María C Veiga
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Interdisciplinary Centre of Chemistry and Biology - Centro Interdisciplinar de Química y Biología (CICA), BIOENGIN group, University of La Coruña, Rúa da Fraga 10, La Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Interdisciplinary Centre of Chemistry and Biology - Centro Interdisciplinar de Química y Biología (CICA), BIOENGIN group, University of La Coruña, Rúa da Fraga 10, La Coruña 15008, Spain.
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Shi X, Wei W, Wu L, Huang Y, Ni BJ. Biosynthesis mechanisms of medium-chain carboxylic acids and alcohols in anaerobic microalgae fermentation regulated by pH conditions. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0125023. [PMID: 38112479 PMCID: PMC10807445 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01250-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Valorization of microalgae into high-value products and drop-in chemicals can reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels in an environmentally sustainable way. Among the valuable products, medium-chain carboxylic acids (MCCAs) and alcohols are attractive building blocks as fuel precursors. However, the biosynthetic mechanisms of MCCAs and alcohols in anaerobic microalgae fermentation and the regulating role of pH on the microbial structure and metabolism interaction among different functional groups have never been documented. In this work, we systematically investigated the roles of pH (5, 7, and 10) on the production of MCCAs and alcohols in anaerobic microalgae fermentation. The gene-centric and genome-centric metagenomes were employed to uncover the dynamics and metabolic network of the key players in the microbial communities. The results indicated that the pH significantly changed the product spectrum. The maximum production rate of alcohol was obtained at pH 5, while pH 7 was more beneficial for MCCA production. Metagenomic analysis reveals that this differential performance under different pH is attributed to the transformation of microbial guild and metabolism regulated by pH. The composition of various functional groups for MCCA and alcohol production also varies at different pH levels. Finally, a metabolic network was proposed to reveal the microbial interactions at different pH levels and thus provide insights into bioconversion of microalgae to high-value biofuels.IMPORTANCECarboxylate platforms encompass a biosynthesis process involving a mixed and undefined culture, enabling the conversion of microalgae, rich in carbohydrates and protein, into valuable fuels and mitigating the risks associated with algae blooms. However, there is little known about the effects of pH on the metabolic pathways of chain elongation and alcohol production in anaerobic microalgae fermentation. Moreover, convoluted and interdependent microbial interactions encumber efforts to characterize how organics and electrons flow among microbiome members. In this work, we compared metabolic differences among three different pH levels (5, 7, and 10) in anaerobic microalgae fermentation. In addition, genome-centric metagenomic analysis was conducted to reveal the microbial interaction for medium-chain carboxylic acid and alcohol production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingdong Shi
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lan Wu
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yuhan Huang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Chen G, Wang R, Sun M, Chen J, Iyobosa E, Zhao J. Carbon dioxide reduction to high-value chemicals in microbial electrosynthesis system: Biological conversion and regulation strategies. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 344:140251. [PMID: 37769909 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Large emissions of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are causing climatic and environmental problems. It is crucial to capture and utilize the excess CO2 through diverse methods, among which the microbial electrosynthesis (MES) system has become an attractive and promising technology to mitigate greenhouse effects while reducing CO2 to high-value chemicals. However, the biological conversion and metabolic pathways through microbial catalysis have not been clearly elucidated. This review first introduces the main acetogenic bacteria for CO2 reduction and extracellular electron transfer mechanisms in MES. It then intensively analyzes the CO2 bioconversion pathways and carbon chain elongation processes in MES, together with energy supply and utilization. The factors affecting MES performance, including physical, chemical, and biological aspects, are summarized, and the strategies to promote and regulate bioconversion in MES are explored. Finally, challenges and perspectives concerning microbial electrochemical carbon sequestration are proposed, and suggestions for future research are also provided. This review provides theoretical foundation and technical support for further development and industrial application of MES for CO2 reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaoxiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze Aquatic Environment (MOE), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Rongchang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze Aquatic Environment (MOE), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai, PR China.
| | - Maoxin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze Aquatic Environment (MOE), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Jie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze Aquatic Environment (MOE), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Eheneden Iyobosa
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze Aquatic Environment (MOE), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Jianfu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze Aquatic Environment (MOE), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai, PR China
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Fernández-Blanco C, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Effect of pH and medium composition on chain elongation with Megasphaera hexanoica producing C 4-C 8 fatty acids. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1281103. [PMID: 38029098 PMCID: PMC10653306 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1281103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chain elongation technology, which involves fermentation with anaerobic bacteria, has gained attention for converting short and medium chain substrates into valuable and longer-chain products like medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). In the recent past, the focus of studies with pure chain elongating cultures was on species of other genera, mainly Clostridium kluyveri. Recently, other chain elongators have been isolated that deserve further research, such as Megasphaera hexanoica. Methods In this study, batch studies were performed in bottles with two different media to establish the optimal conditions for growth of M. hexanoica: (a) a medium rich in different sources of nitrogen and (b) a medium whose only source of nitrogen is yeast extract. Also, batch bioreactor studies at pH values of 5.8, 6.5 and 7.2 were set up to study the fermentation of lactate (i.e., electron donor) and acetate (i.e., electron acceptor) by M. hexanoica. Results and discussion Batch bottle studies revealed the yeast extract (YE) containing medium as the most promising in terms of production/cost ratio, producing n-caproate rapidly up to 2.62 ± 0.24 g/L. Subsequent bioreactor experiments at pH 5.8, 6.5, and 7.2 confirmed consistent production profiles, yielding C4-C8 fatty acids. A fourth bioreactor experiment at pH 6.5 and doubling both lactate and acetate concentrations enhanced MCFA production, resulting in 3.7 g/L n-caproate and 1.5 g/L n-caprylate. H2 and CO2 production was observed in all fermentations, being especially high under the increased substrate conditions. Overall, this study provides insights into M. hexanoica's behavior in lactate-based chain elongation and highlights optimization potential for improved productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Interdisciplinary Centre of Chemistry and Biology – Centro Interdisciplinar de Química y Biología (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of A Coruña, Coruña, Spain
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Seid N, Ochsenreither K, Neumann A. Caproate production from Enset fiber in one-pot two-step fermentation using anaerobic fungi (Neocallimastix cameroonii strain G341) and Clostridium kluyveri DSM 555. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:216. [PMID: 37864174 PMCID: PMC10588050 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02224-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lignocellulosic biomass plays a crucial role in creating a circular bioeconomy and minimizing environmental impact. Enset biomass is a byproduct of traditional Ethiopian Enset food processing that is thrown away in huge quantities. This study aimed to produce caproate from Enset fiber using Neocallimastix cameroonii strain G341 and Clostridium kluyveri DSM 555 in one-pot two-step fermentation. RESULTS The process started by growing N. cameroonii on Enset fiber as a carbon source for 7 days. Subsequently, the fungal culture was inoculated with active C. kluyveri preculture and further incubated. The results showed that N. cameroonii grew on 0.25 g untreated Enset fiber as the sole carbon source and produced 1.16 mmol acetate, 0.51 mmol hydrogen, and 1.34 mmol formate. In addition, lactate, succinate, and ethanol were detected in small amounts, 0.17 mmol, 0.08 mmol, and 0.7 mmol, respectively. After inoculating with C. kluyveri, 0.3 mmol of caproate and 0.48 mmol of butyrate were produced, and hydrogen production also increased to 0.95 mmol compared to sole N. cameroonii fermentation. Moreover, after the culture was supplemented with 2.18 mmol of ethanol during C. kluyveri inoculation, caproate, and hydrogen production was further increased to 1.2 and 1.36 mmol, respectively, and the consumption of acetate also increased. CONCLUSION A novel microbial cell factory was developed to convert untreated lignocellulosic Enset fiber into the medium chain carboxylic acid caproate and H2 by a co-culture of the anaerobic fungi N. cameroonii and C. kluyveri. This opens a new value chain for Enset farmers, as the process requires only locally available raw materials and low-price fermenters. As the caproate production was mainly limited by the available ethanol, the addition of locally produced ethanol-containing fermentation broth ("beer") would further increase the titer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nebyat Seid
- Electrobiotechnology, Institute of Process Engineering in Life Science 2, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
- School of Chemical and Bio Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, P.O.B: 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Katrin Ochsenreither
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Anke Neumann
- Electrobiotechnology, Institute of Process Engineering in Life Science 2, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
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Robles A, Sundar SV, Mohana Rangan S, Delgado AG. Butanol as a major product during ethanol and acetate chain elongation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1181983. [PMID: 37274171 PMCID: PMC10233103 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1181983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chain elongation is a relevant bioprocess in support of a circular economy as it can use a variety of organic feedstocks for production of valuable short and medium chain carboxylates, such as butyrate (C4), caproate (C6), and caprylate (C8). Alcohols, including the biofuel, butanol (C4), can also be generated in chain elongation but the bioreactor conditions that favor butanol production are mainly unknown. In this study we investigated production of butanol (and its precursor butyrate) during ethanol and acetate chain elongation. We used semi-batch bioreactors (0.16 L serum bottles) fed with a range of ethanol concentrations (100-800 mM C), a constant concentration of acetate (50 mM C), and an initial total gas pressure of ∼112 kPa. We showed that the butanol concentration was positively correlated with the ethanol concentration provided (up to 400 mM C ethanol) and to chain elongation activity, which produced H2 and further increased the total gas pressure. In bioreactors fed with 400 mM C ethanol and 50 mM C acetate, a concentration of 114.96 ± 9.26 mM C butanol (∼2.13 g L-1) was achieved after five semi-batch cycles at a total pressure of ∼170 kPa and H2 partial pressure of ∼67 kPa. Bioreactors with 400 mM C ethanol and 50 mM C acetate also yielded a butanol to butyrate molar ratio of 1:1. At the beginning of cycle 8, the total gas pressure was intentionally decreased to ∼112 kPa to test the dependency of butanol production on total pressure and H2 partial pressure. The reduction in total pressure decreased the molar ratio of butanol to butyrate to 1:2 and jolted H2 production out of an apparent stall. Clostridium kluyveri (previously shown to produce butyrate and butanol) and Alistipes (previously linked with butyrate production) were abundant amplicon sequence variants in the bioreactors during the experimental phases, suggesting the microbiome was resilient against changes in bioreactor conditions. The results from this study clearly demonstrate the potential of ethanol and acetate-based chain elongation to yield butanol as a major product. This study also supports the dependency of butanol production on limiting acetate and on high total gas and H2 partial pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aide Robles
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- Engineering Research Center for Bio-Mediated and Bio-Inspired Geotechnics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Skanda Vishnu Sundar
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Srivatsan Mohana Rangan
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- Engineering Research Center for Bio-Mediated and Bio-Inspired Geotechnics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Anca G. Delgado
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- Engineering Research Center for Bio-Mediated and Bio-Inspired Geotechnics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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Parera Olm I, Sousa DZ. Upgrading dilute ethanol to odd-chain carboxylic acids by a synthetic co-culture of Anaerotignum neopropionicum and Clostridium kluyveri. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2023; 16:83. [PMID: 37194097 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02336-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dilute ethanol streams generated during fermentation of biomass or syngas can be used as feedstocks for the production of higher value products. In this study, we describe a novel synthetic microbial co-culture that can effectively upgrade dilute ethanol streams to odd-chain carboxylic acids (OCCAs), specifically valerate and heptanoate. The co-culture consists of two strict anaerobic microorganisms: Anaerotignum neopropionicum, a propionigenic bacterium that ferments ethanol, and Clostridium kluyveri, well-known for its chain-elongating metabolism. In this co-culture, A. neopropionicum grows on ethanol and CO2 producing propionate and acetate, which are then utilised by C. kluyveri for chain elongation with ethanol as the electron donor. RESULTS A co-culture of A. neopropionicum and C. kluyveri was established in serum bottles with 50 mM ethanol, leading to the production of valerate (5.4 ± 0.1 mM) as main product of ethanol-driven chain elongation. In a continuous bioreactor supplied with 3.1 g ethanol L-1 d-1, the co-culture exhibited high ethanol conversion (96.6%) and produced 25% (mol/mol) valerate, with a steady-state concentration of 8.5 mM and a rate of 5.7 mmol L-1 d-1. In addition, up to 6.5 mM heptanoate was produced at a rate of 2.9 mmol L-1 d-1. Batch experiments were also conducted to study the individual growth of the two strains on ethanol. A. neopropionicum showed the highest growth rate when cultured with 50 mM ethanol (μmax = 0.103 ± 0.003 h-1) and tolerated ethanol concentrations of up to 300 mM. Cultivation experiments with C. kluyveri showed that propionate and acetate were used simultaneously for chain elongation. However, growth on propionate alone (50 mM and 100 mM) led to a 1.8-fold reduction in growth rate compared to growth on acetate. Our results also revealed sub-optimal substrate use by C. kluyveri during odd-chain elongation, where excessive ethanol was oxidised to acetate. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the potential of synthetic co-cultivation in chain elongation processes to target the production of OCCAs. Furthermore, our findings shed light on to the metabolism of odd-chain elongation by C. kluyveri.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivette Parera Olm
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Centre for Living Technologies, Eindhoven-Wageningen-Utrecht Alliance, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Diana Z Sousa
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Living Technologies, Eindhoven-Wageningen-Utrecht Alliance, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Fernández-Blanco C, Robles-Iglesias R, Naveira-Pazos C, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Production of biofuels from C 1 -gases with Clostridium and related bacteria-Recent advances. Microb Biotechnol 2023; 16:726-741. [PMID: 36661185 PMCID: PMC10034633 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium spp. are suitable for the bioconversion of C1 -gases (e.g., CO2 , CO and syngas) into different bioproducts. These products can be used as biofuels and are reviewed here, focusing on ethanol, butanol and hexanol, mainly. The production of higher alcohols (e.g., butanol and hexanol) has hardly been reviewed. Parameters affecting the optimization of the bioconversion process and bioreactor performance are addressed as well as the pathways involved in these bioconversions. New aspects, such as mixotrophy and sugar versus gas fermentation, are also reviewed. In addition, Clostridia can also produce higher alcohols from the integration of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and the reverse ß-oxidation pathway, which has also not yet been comprehensively reviewed. In the latter process, the acetogen uses the reducing power of CO/syngas to reduce C4 or C6 fatty acids, previously produced by a chain elongating microorganism (commonly Clostridium kluyveri), into the corresponding bioalcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Fernández-Blanco
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research-Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, La Coruña, Spain
| | - Raúl Robles-Iglesias
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research-Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, La Coruña, Spain
| | - Cecilia Naveira-Pazos
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research-Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, La Coruña, Spain
| | - María C Veiga
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research-Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, La Coruña, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research-Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, La Coruña, Spain
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Hernández-Correa E, Buitrón G. Experimental evaluation of temperature, nutrients, and initial concentration on medium-chain carboxylic acids production from winery wastes. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 87:1703-1712. [PMID: 37051792 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
In the wine industry, grape processing is accompanied by waste generation, such as grape stalks, winery wastewater, and grape pomace (GP). GP can be used to produce value-added compounds such as medium-chain carboxylic acids (MCCA). This work aimed to determine the operational conditions (temperature, addition of nutrients, and initial waste concentration) to improve MCCA production using waste GP from the winery industry as a substrate. The electron donor (ethanol) and electron acceptor (acetate) were directly generated from the GP and consecutively used to produce MCCA. The treatment with high concentration, temperature, and nutrient addition promotes caproic acid's maximal yield and concentration (0.11 ± 0.02 g MCCA/g TS). Nutrients' presence and temperature significantly affected electron acceptor production. The addition of nutrients and 30 °C leads to elevated acetate production. However, at 37 °C, butyrate and MCCA were mainly produced without adding nutrients, and high ethanol consumption was observed. A higher metabolic diversification was observed at 37 °C than at 30 °C. Temperature and nutrient availability significantly affected the metabolic pathway and the type of carboxylic acid produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Hernández-Correa
- Laboratory for Research on Advanced Processes for Water Treatment, Unidad Académica Juriquilla, Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 3001 Blvd. Juriquilla, Queretaro 76230, Mexico E-mail: ;
| | - Germán Buitrón
- Laboratory for Research on Advanced Processes for Water Treatment, Unidad Académica Juriquilla, Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 3001 Blvd. Juriquilla, Queretaro 76230, Mexico E-mail: ;
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12
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Alves LDF, Bortolucci J, Reginato V, Guazzaroni ME, Mussatto SI. Improving Saccharomyces cerevisiae acid and oxidative stress resistance using a prokaryotic gene identified by functional metagenomics. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14838. [PMID: 37077683 PMCID: PMC10106912 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Innovations in obtaining products from lignocellulosic biomass have been largely based on the improvement of microorganisms and enzymes capable of degrading these materials. To complete the whole process, microorganisms must be able to ferment the resulting sugars and tolerate high concentrations of product, osmotic pressure, ion toxicity, temperature, toxic compounds from lignocellulose pretreatment, low pH, and oxidative stress. In this work, we engineered laboratory and industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains by combining a gene (hu) recovered from a metagenomic approach with different native and synthetic promoters to obtain improved acid and oxidative stress resistance. Laboratorial strains harboring hu gene under the control of the synthetic stress responsive PCCW14v5 showed increased survival rates after 2 h exposure to pH 1.5. The hu gene was also able to significantly enhance the tolerance of the industrial strain to high concentrations of H2O2 when combined with PTEF1, PYGP1 or PYGP1v7 after 3 h exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana de Fátima Alves
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, University of São Paulo, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-900, São Paulo, Brazil
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Building 220, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jonatã Bortolucci
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, University of São Paulo, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Valeria Reginato
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, University of São Paulo, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - María-Eugenia Guazzaroni
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, University of São Paulo, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Solange I. Mussatto
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 223, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- Corresponding author.
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13
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He Y, Cassarini C, Lens PN. Enrichment of homoacetogens converting H 2/CO 2 into acids and ethanol and simultaneous methane production. Eng Life Sci 2022; 23:e2200027. [PMID: 36751471 PMCID: PMC9893759 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202200027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An anaerobic granular sludge was enriched to utilize H2/CO2 in a continuous gas-fed up-flow anaerobic sludge reactor by applying operating conditions expected to produce acetic acid, butyric acid, and ethanol. Three stages of fermentation were found: Stage I with acetic acid accumulation with the highest concentration of 35 mM along with a pH decrease from initial 6 to 4.5. In Stage II, H2/CO2 was replaced by 100% H2 to induce solventogenesis, whereas butyric acid was produced with the highest concentration of 2.5 mM. At stage III with 10 µM tungsten (W) addition, iso-valeric acid, valeric acid, and caproic acid were produced at pH 4.5-5.0. In the batch tests inoculated with the enriched sludge taken from the bioreactor (day 70), however, methane production occurred at pH 6. Exogenous 15 mM acetate addition enhanced both the H2 and CO2 consumption rate compared to exogenous 10, 30, and 45 mM acetate by the enriched sludge. Exogenous acetate was failed to be converted to ethanol using H2 as electron donor by the enriched acetogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxue He
- National University of Ireland GalwayGalwayIreland
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14
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Wu Y, Li W, Wang L, Wu Y, Wang Y, Wang Y, Meng H. Enhancing the selective synthesis of butyrate in microbial electrosynthesis system by gas diffusion membrane composite biocathode. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 308:136088. [PMID: 36029854 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to high value-added multi-carbon compounds at the cathode is an emerging application of microbial electrosynthesis system (MES). In this study, a composite cathode consisting of hollow fiber membrane (HFM) and the carbon felt is designed to enhance the CO2 mass transfer of the cathode. The result shows that the main products are acetate and butyrate without other substances. The electrochemical performance of the electrode is significantly improved after biofilm becomes matures. The composite cathode significantly reduces the "threshold" for the synthesis of butyrate. Moreover, CO2 is dissolved and protons are consumed by synthesizing volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to maintain a stable pH inside the composite electrode. The synthesis mechanism of butyrate is that CO2 is converted sequentially into acetate and butyrate. The microenvironment of the composite electrode enriches Firmicute. This composite electrode provides a novel strategy for regulating the microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, TianGong University, Tianjin 300387, China.
| | - Weichao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, TianGong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Lutian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; School of Material Science and Engineering, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China
| | - Yuchong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, TianGong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Yue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, TianGong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Tianjin Urban Construction Design Institute, Tianjin, 300122, China
| | - Hongyu Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, TianGong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, TianGong University, Tianjin 300387, China
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15
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Baleeiro FCF, Raab J, Kleinsteuber S, Neumann A, Sträuber H. Mixotrophic chain elongation with syngas and lactate as electron donors. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 16:322-336. [PMID: 36378491 PMCID: PMC9871530 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Feeding microbial communities with both organic and inorganic substrates can improve sustainability and feasibility of chain elongation processes. Sustainably produced H2 , CO2 , and CO can be co-fed to microorganisms as a source for acetyl-CoA, while a small amount of an ATP-generating organic substrate helps overcome the kinetic hindrances associated with autotrophic carboxylate production. Here, we operated two semi-continuous bioreactor systems with continuous recirculation of H2 , CO2 , and CO while co-feeding an organic model feedstock (lactate and acetate) to understand how a mixotrophic community is shaped during carboxylate production. Contrary to the assumption that H2 , CO2 , and CO support chain elongation via ethanol production in open cultures, significant correlations (p < 0.01) indicated that relatives of Clostridium luticellarii and Eubacterium aggregans produced carboxylates (acetate to n-caproate) while consuming H2 , CO2 , CO, and lactate themselves. After 100 days, the enriched community was dominated by these two bacteria coexisting in cyclic dynamics shaped by the CO partial pressure. Homoacetogenesis was strongest when the acetate concentration was low (3.2 g L-1 ), while heterotrophs had the following roles: Pseudoramibacter, Oscillibacter, and Colidextribacter contributed to n-caproate production and Clostridium tyrobutyricum and Acidipropionibacterium spp. grew opportunistically producing n-butyrate and propionate, respectively. The mixotrophic chain elongation community was more efficient in carboxylate production compared with the heterotrophic one and maintained average carbon fixation rates between 0.088 and 1.4 g CO2 equivalents L-1 days-1 . The extra H2 and CO consumed routed 82% more electrons to carboxylates and 50% more electrons to carboxylates longer than acetate. This study shows for the first time long-term, stable production of short- and medium-chain carboxylates with a mixotrophic community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávio C. F. Baleeiro
- Department of Environmental MicrobiologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany,Technical Biology, Institute of Process Engineering in Life ScienceKarlsruhe Institute of Technology – KITKarlsruheGermany
| | - Jana Raab
- Department of Environmental MicrobiologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Sabine Kleinsteuber
- Department of Environmental MicrobiologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Anke Neumann
- Technical Biology, Institute of Process Engineering in Life ScienceKarlsruhe Institute of Technology – KITKarlsruheGermany
| | - Heike Sträuber
- Department of Environmental MicrobiologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
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16
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He Y, Wang X, Li P, Lv Y, Nan H, Wen L, Wang Z. Research Progress of Wine Aroma Components: A Critical Review. Food Chem 2022; 402:134491. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Conversion of Syngas from Entrained Flow Gasification of Biogenic Residues with Clostridium carboxidivorans and Clostridium autoethanogenum. FERMENTATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation8090465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthesis gas fermentation is a microbial process, which uses anaerobic bacteria to convert CO-rich gases to organic acids and alcohols and thus presents a promising technology for the sustainable production of fuels and platform chemicals from renewable sources. Clostridium carboxidivorans and Clostridium autoethanogenum are two acetogenic bacteria, which have shown their high potential for these processes by their high tolerance toward CO and in the production of industrially relevant products such as ethanol, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and 2,3-butanediol. A promising approach is the coupling of gasification of biogenic residues with a syngas fermentation process. This study investigated batch processes with C. carboxidivorans and C. autoethanogenum in fully controlled stirred-tank bioreactors and continuous gassing with biogenic syngas produced by an autothermal entrained flow gasifier on a pilot scale >1200 °C. They were then compared to the results of artificial gas mixtures of pure gases. Because the biogenic syngas contained 2459 ppm O2 from the bottling process after gasification of torrefied wood and subsequent syngas cleaning for reducing CH4, NH3, H2S, NOX, and HCN concentrations, the oxygen in the syngas was reduced to 259 ppm O2 with a Pd catalyst before entering the bioreactor. The batch process performance of C. carboxidivorans in a stirred-tank bioreactor with continuous gassing of purified biogenic syngas was identical to an artificial syngas mixture of the pure gases CO, CO2, H2, and N2 within the estimation error. The alcohol production by C. autoethanogenum was even improved with the purified biogenic syngas compared to reference batch processes with the corresponding artificial syngas mixture. Both acetogens have proven their potential for successful fermentation processes with biogenic syngas, but full carbon conversion to ethanol is challenging with the investigated biogenic syngas.
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18
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He Y, Kennes C, Lens PNL. Enhanced solventogenesis in syngas bioconversion: Role of process parameters and thermodynamics. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 299:134425. [PMID: 35351479 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Biofuels, such as ethanol and butanol, obtained from carbon monoxide-rich gas or syngas bioconversion (solventogenesis) are an attractive alternative to traditional fermentation processes with merits of no competition with food production and sustainability. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of some key process parameters and mechanisms enhancing solventogenesis during the fermentation process. This review provides an overview of the current state of the art of the main influencing factors during the syngas fermentation process catalyzed by acetogenic species as well as undefined mixed cultures. The role of syngas pressure, syngas components, fermentation pH, temperature, trace metals, organic compounds and additional materials is overviewed. As a so far hardly considered approach, thermodynamic calculations of the Gibbs free energy of CO conversion to acetic acid, ethanol, butyric acid and butanol under different CO pressures and pH at 25, 33 and 55 °C are also addressed and reviewed. Strategies for enhancing mass transfer and longer carbon chain solvent production are considered as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxue He
- National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland; Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research - Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), E-15008, La Coruña, Spain.
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research - Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), E-15008, La Coruña, Spain
| | - Piet N L Lens
- National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland
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19
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Virdis B, Hoelzle R, Marchetti A, Boto ST, Rosenbaum MA, Blasco-Gómez R, Puig S, Freguia S, Villano M. Electro-fermentation: Sustainable bioproductions steered by electricity. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 59:107950. [PMID: 35364226 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The market of biobased products obtainable via fermentation processes is steadily increasing over the past few years, driven by the need to create a decarbonized economy. To date, industrial fermentation (IF) employs either pure or mixed microbial cultures (MMC) whereby the type of the microbial catalysts and the used feedstock affect metabolic pathways and, in turn, the type of product(s) generated. In many cases, especially when dealing with MMC, the economic viability of IF is hindered by factors such as the low attained product titer and selectivity, which ultimately challenge the downstream recovery and purification steps. In this context, electro-fermentation (EF) represents an innovative approach, based on the use of a polarized electrode interface to trigger changes in the rate, yield, titer or product distribution deriving from traditional fermentation processes. In principle, the electrode in EF can act as an electron acceptor (i.e., anodic electro-fermentation, AEF) or donor (i.e., cathodic electro-fermentation, CEF), or simply as a mean to control the oxidation-reduction potential of the fermentation broth. However, the molecular and biochemical basis underlying the EF process are still largely unknown. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of recent literature studies including both AEF and CEF examples with either pure or mixed microbial cultures. A critical analysis of biochemical, microbiological, and engineering aspects which presently hamper the transition of the EF technology from the laboratory to the market is also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardino Virdis
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Robert Hoelzle
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Angela Marchetti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Santiago T Boto
- Bio Pilot Plant, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University (FSU), 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Miriam A Rosenbaum
- Bio Pilot Plant, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University (FSU), 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Ramiro Blasco-Gómez
- LEQUIA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Sebastià Puig
- LEQUIA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Stefano Freguia
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Marianna Villano
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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20
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He Y, Lens PNL, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Effect of Endogenous and Exogenous Butyric Acid on Butanol Production From CO by Enriched Clostridia. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:828316. [PMID: 35252136 PMCID: PMC8888879 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.828316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Butanol is a potential renewable fuel. To increase the selectivity for butanol during CO fermentation, exogenous acetic acid and ethanol, exogenous butyric acid or endogenous butyric acid from glucose fermentation have been investigated using CO as reducing power, with a highly enriched Clostridium sludge. Addition of 3.2 g/L exogenous butyric acid led to the highest 1.9 g/L butanol concentration with a conversion efficiency of 67%. With exogenous acetate and ethanol supply, the butanol concentration reached 1.6 g/L at the end of the incubation. However, the presence of acetic acid and ethanol favoured butanol production to 2.6 g/L from exogenous butyric acid by the enriched sludge. Finally, exogenous 14 g/L butyric acid yielded the highest butanol production of 3.4 g/L, which was also among the highest butanol concentration from CO/syngas fermentation reported so far. CO addition triggered butanol production from endogenous butyric acid (produced from glucose, Glucose + N2) with as high as 58.6% conversion efficiency and 62.1% butanol yield. However, no efficient butanol production was found from glucose and CO co-fermentation (Glucose + CO), although a similar amount of endogenous butyric acid was produced compared to Glucose + N2. The Clostridium genus occupied a relative abundance as high as 82% from the initial inoculum, while the Clostridia and Bacilli classes were both enriched and dominated in Glucose + N2 and Glucose + CO incubations. This study shows that the supply of butyric acid is a possible strategy for enhancing butanol production by CO fed anaerobic sludge, either via exogenous butyric acid, or via endogenous production by sugar fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxue He
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), A Coruña, Spain
- National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | | | - María C. Veiga
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), A Coruña, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), A Coruña, Spain
- *Correspondence: Christian Kennes,
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21
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He Y, Lens PNL, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Selective butanol production from carbon monoxide by an enriched anaerobic culture. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150579. [PMID: 34582872 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
An anaerobic mixed culture able to grow on pure carbon monoxide (CO) as well as syngas (CO, CO2 and H2), that produced unusual high concentrations of butanol, was enriched in a bioreactor with intermittent CO gas feeding. At pH 6.2, it mainly produced acids, generally acetic and butyric acid. After adaptation, under stress conditions of CO exposure at a partial pressure of 1.8 bar and low pH (e.g., 5.7), the enrichment accumulated ethanol, but also high amounts of butanol, up to 6.8 g/L, never reported before, with a high butanol/butyric acid molar ratio of 12.6, highlighting the high level of acid to alcohol conversion. At the end of the assay, both the acetic acid and ethanol concentrations decreased, with concomitant butyric acid production, suggesting C2 to C4 acid bioconversion, though this was not a dominant bioconversion process. The reverse reaction of ethanol oxidation to acetic acid was observed in the presence of CO2 produced during CO fermentation. Interestingly, butanol oxidation with simultaneous butyric acid production occurred upon production of CO2 from CO, which has to the best of our knowledge never been reported. Although the sludge inoculum contained a few known solventogenic Clostridia, the relative taxonomic abundance of the enriched sludge was diverse in Clostridia and Bacilli classes, containing known solventogens, e.g., Clostridium ljungdhalii, Clostridium ragsdalei and Clostridium coskatii, confirming their efficient enrichment. The relative abundance of unassigned Clostridium species amounted to 27% with presumably novel ethanol/butanol producers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxue He
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), E-15008 La Coruña, Spain; National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - Piet N L Lens
- National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - María C Veiga
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), E-15008 La Coruña, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña (UDC), E-15008 La Coruña, Spain.
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22
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Fernández-Blanco C, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Efficient production of n-caproate from syngas by a co-culture of Clostridium aceticum and Clostridium kluyveri. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 302:113992. [PMID: 34710762 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the possibility of merging technologies for waste recovery such as those based on syngas fermentation and chain elongation has been studied for the production of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and bioalcohols, in an attempt to integrate the concept of circular economy in the industry. Nevertheless, one of the main issues of this approach is the pH mismatch between acetogens and chain elongating microorganisms. This work reports, for the first time, the suitability of a co-culture of C. aceticum and C. kluyveri metabolizing syngas at near neutral pH in stirred tank bioreactors. For this purpose, bioreactor studies were carried out with continuous syngas supply. In the first experiment, maximum concentrations of n-butyrate and n-caproate of 7.0 and 8.2 g/L, respectively, were obtained. In the second experiment, considerable amounts of n-butanol were produced as a result of the reduction, by C. aceticum, of the carboxylates already formed in the broth. In both experiments, ethanol was used as an exogenous electron agent at some point. Finally, batch bottle assays were performed with a pure culture of C. aceticum grown on CO in presence of n-butyrate to assess and confirm its ability to produce n-butanol, reaching concentrations up to 951 mg/L, with a n-butyrate conversion efficiency of 96%, which had never been reported before in this species. Therefore, this work contributes to the state of the art, presenting a novel system for the bioproduction of MCFAs by combining syngas fermentation and chain elongation at near neutral pH, as opposed to the acidic pH range used in all previously reported literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Fernández-Blanco
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, E-15008, La Coruña, Spain
| | - María C Veiga
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, E-15008, La Coruña, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, E-15008, La Coruña, Spain.
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23
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Conversion of Carbon Monoxide to Chemicals Using Microbial Consortia. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 180:373-407. [PMID: 34811579 DOI: 10.1007/10_2021_180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Syngas, a gaseous mixture of CO, H2 and CO2, can be produced by gasification of carbon-containing materials, including organic waste materials or lignocellulosic biomass. The conversion of bio-based syngas to chemicals is foreseen as an important process in circular bioeconomy. Carbon monoxide is also produced as a waste gas in many industrial sectors (e.g., chemical, energy, steel). Often, the purity level of bio-based syngas and waste gases is low and/or the ratios of syngas components are not adequate for chemical conversion (e.g., by Fischer-Tropsch). Microbes are robust catalysts to transform impure syngas into a broad spectrum of products. Fermentation of CO-rich waste gases to ethanol has reached commercial scale (by axenic cultures of Clostridium species), but production of other chemical building blocks is underexplored. Currently, genetic engineering of carboxydotrophic acetogens is applied to increase the portfolio of products from syngas/CO, but the limited energy metabolism of these microbes limits product yields and applications (for example, only products requiring low levels of ATP for synthesis can be produced). An alternative approach is to explore microbial consortia, including open mixed cultures and synthetic co-cultures, to create a metabolic network based on CO conversion that can yield products such as medium-chain carboxylic acids, higher alcohols and other added-value chemicals.
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He Y, Lens PNL, Veiga MC, Kennes C. Enhanced Ethanol Production From Carbon Monoxide by Enriched Clostridium Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:754713. [PMID: 34777310 PMCID: PMC8585497 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.754713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon monoxide (CO)-metabolizing Clostridium spp. were enriched from the biomass of a butanol-producing reactor. After six successive biomass transfers, ethanol production reached as much as 11.8 g/L with minor accumulation of acetic acid, under intermittent gas feeding conditions and over a wide pH range of 6.45-4.95. The molar ratio of ethanol to acetic acid exceeded 1.7 after the lag phase of 11 days and reached its highest value of 8.6 during the fermentation process after 25 days. Although butanol production was not significantly enhanced in the enrichment, the biomass was able to convert exogenous butyric acid (3.2 g/L) into butanol with nearly 100% conversion efficiency using CO as reducing power. This suggested that inhibition of butanol production from CO was caused by the lack of natural butyric acid production, expectedly induced by unsuitable pH values due to initial acidification resulting from the acetic acid production. The enriched Clostridium population also converted glucose to formic, acetic, propionic, and butyric acids in batch tests with daily pH adjustment to pH 6.0. The Clostridium genus was enriched with its relative abundance significantly increasing from 7% in the inoculum to 94% after five successive enrichment steps. Unidentified Clostridium species showed a very high relative abundance, reaching 73% of the Clostridium genus in the enriched sludge (6th transfer).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxue He
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of A Coruña (UDC), A Coruña, Spain.,National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Piet N L Lens
- National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - María C Veiga
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of A Coruña (UDC), A Coruña, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of A Coruña (UDC), A Coruña, Spain
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Wu Q, Jiang Y, Chen Y, Liu M, Bao X, Guo W. Opportunities and challenges in microbial medium chain fatty acids production from waste biomass. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 340:125633. [PMID: 34315125 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that produced from affordable waste biomass via chain elongation (CE) technology are recognized as the potential alternatives to part fossil-derived chemicals, contributing to the sustainable development of economy and environment. The purpose of this review is to provide comprehensive analyses on the opportunities and challenges of MCFAs production and application. First, both two microbial MCFAs synthesis pathways of reverse β-oxidation and fatty acid biosynthesis were introduced/compared in detail to give readers a thorough understanding of the CE process, with the expectation of further boosting MCFAs production by well distinguishing them. Furthermore, the six key MCFAs production bottlenecks, corresponding research progresses, and possible solutions were analyzed. Five major MCFAs production strategies with their production mechanism, performances, and characteristics were also critically assessed. Additionally, the commercial production status was introduced, and future alternative production mode and research priorities were also recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglian Wu
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Yong Jiang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Ying Chen
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Min Liu
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Xian Bao
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
| | - Wanqian Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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Salt-stress adaptation of yeast as a simple method to improve high-gravity fermentation in an industrial medium. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:8009-8018. [PMID: 34553250 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11566-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
While Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a popular organism to produce ethanol, its fermentation performance is affected at high sugar concentrations due to osmotic stress. We hypothesized that adaptation under ionic stress conditions will improve the fermentation performance at high sugar concentrations due to cross-stress adaptation. We, therefore, adapted a high-performance yeast strain, S. cerevisiae CEN.PK 122, to increasing salt concentrations in an industrial medium. Control cells were adapted in the medium without added salt. The cells adapted to 3.5% (w/v) salt concentration demonstrated a superior performance when fermenting 10-30% (w/v) glucose. When fermenting 30% (w/v) glucose, the ethanol yields of the adapted cells (0.49 ± 0.01 g g-1) were about 30% higher than the control cells (0.37 ± 0.01 g g-1) and are comparable with the best reported to date for any medium employed. Similar improvements were also observed when fermenting 10% (w/v) sucrose. However, little improvement in fermentation was observed at the higher temperature tested (40 °C), even though the growth of the adapted cells was greater when tested in YPD medium. The improvements in fermentation at 30 °C were primarily related to the faster growth of the adapted cells and not to an increase in specific intake rates. Additionally, a significantly reduced lag phase was also observed when fermenting 30% (w/v) glucose. Thus, our work shows the application of a simple strategy to significantly improve high-gravity fermentation (HGF) performance through adaptation. KEY POINTS: • Cell adapted on 3.5% NaCl made 28% more ethanol when fermenting 30% glucose. • The adapted cells had reduced lag phase, grew faster, and produced less glycerol. • The improvements were not related to increased specific rates of production.
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de Leeuw KD, Ahrens T, Buisman CJN, Strik DPBTB. Open Culture Ethanol-Based Chain Elongation to Form Medium Chain Branched Carboxylates and Alcohols. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:697439. [PMID: 34485254 PMCID: PMC8416115 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.697439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chain elongation fermentation allows for the synthesis of biobased chemicals from complex organic residue streams. To expand the product spectrum of chain elongation technology and its application range we investigated 1) how to increase selectivity towards branched chain elongation and 2) whether alternative branched carboxylates such as branched valerates can be used as electron acceptors. Elongation of isobutyrate elongation towards 4-methyl-pentanoate was achieved with a selectivity of 27% (of total products, based on carbon atoms) in a continuous system that operated under CO2 and acetate limited conditions. Increasing the CO2 load led to more in situ acetate formation that increased overall chain elongation rate but decreased the selectivity of branched chain elongation. A part of this acetate formation was related to direct ethanol oxidation that seemed to be thermodynamically coupled to hydrogenotrophic carboxylate reduction to corresponding alcohols. Several alcohols including isobutanol and n-hexanol were formed. The microbiome from the continuous reactor was also able to form small amounts of 5-methyl-hexanoate likely from 3-methyl-butanoate and ethanol as substrate in batch experiments. The highest achieved concentration of isoheptanoate was 6.4 ± 0.9 mM Carbon, or 118 ± 17 mg/L, which contributed for 7% to the total amount of products (based on carbon atoms). The formation of isoheptanoate was dependent on the isoform of branched valerate. With 3-methyl-butanoate as substrate 5-methylhexanoate was formed, whereas a racemic mixture of L/D 2-methyl-butanoate did not lead to an elongated product. When isobutyrate and isovalerate were added simultaneously as substrates there was a large preference for elongation of isobutyrate over isovalerate. Overall, this work showed that chain elongation microbiomes can be further adapted with supplement of branched-electron acceptors towards the formation of iso-caproate and iso-heptanoate as well as that longer chain alcohol formation can be stimulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasper D de Leeuw
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Theresa Ahrens
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Cees J N Buisman
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - David P B T B Strik
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Grimalt-Alemany A, Etler C, Asimakopoulos K, Skiadas IV, Gavala HN. ORP control for boosting ethanol productivity in gas fermentation systems and dynamics of redox cofactor NADH/NAD+ under oxidative stress. J CO2 UTIL 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcou.2021.101589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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29
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Allaart MT, Stouten GR, Sousa DZ, Kleerebezem R. Product Inhibition and pH Affect Stoichiometry and Kinetics of Chain Elongating Microbial Communities in Sequencing Batch Bioreactors. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:693030. [PMID: 34235138 PMCID: PMC8256265 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.693030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaerobic microbial communities can produce carboxylic acids of medium chain length (e.g., caproate, caprylate) by elongating short chain fatty acids through reversed β-oxidation. Ethanol is a common electron donor for this process. The influence of environmental conditions on the stoichiometry and kinetics of ethanol-based chain elongation remains elusive. Here, a sequencing batch bioreactor setup with high-resolution off-gas measurements was used to identify the physiological characteristics of chain elongating microbial communities enriched on acetate and ethanol at pH 7.0 ± 0.2 and 5.5 ± 0.2. Operation at both pH-values led to the development of communities that were highly enriched (>50%, based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) in Clostridium kluyveri related species. At both pH-values, stably performing cultures were characterized by incomplete substrate conversion and decreasing biomass-specific hydrogen production rates during an operational cycle. The process stoichiometries obtained at both pH-values were different: at pH 7.0, 71 ± 6% of the consumed electrons were converted to caproate, compared to only 30 ± 5% at pH 5.5. Operating at pH 5.5 led to a decrease in the biomass yield, but a significant increase in the biomass-specific substrate uptake rate, suggesting that the organisms employ catabolic overcapacity to deal with energy losses associated to product inhibition. These results highlight that chain elongating conversions rely on a delicate balance between substrate uptake- and product inhibition kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Diana Z Sousa
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Robbert Kleerebezem
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
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30
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Fu X, Jin X, Ye R, Lu W. Nano zero-valent iron: A pH buffer, electron donor and activator for chain elongation. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 329:124899. [PMID: 33677422 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.124899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Chain elongation produce medium chain carboxylates, which are important precursors to many pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials and biofuels. Results in the presented investigations show that the supply of nano zero-valent iron (NZVI) can enhance caproate production. The highest caproate concentration achieved amounted to 27.2 mmol/L when 5 g/L NZVI were added, which was about 100% higher than the control. The study also showed increase of ethanol oxidation and decrease of butyrate and butanol with NZVI addition. Mechanism study showed NZVI can stimulate caproate production by preventing pH to fall below 5.4 through displacement reaction. Electron balance analysis displayed that NZVI provides extra electron by promoting ethanol oxidation and its dissolution. H2 was the potential electron shuttle between NZVI and chain elongators; High throughput sequencing showed function of NZVI on reshaping of microbial communities, especially enriching Oscillibacter Marseille-P3260, a kind of chain elongator and Corynebacterium which possesses fatty acid biosynthesis and iron utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xindi Fu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China
| | - Xi Jin
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China
| | - Rong Ye
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China
| | - Wenjing Lu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China.
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31
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He Y, Cassarini C, Lens PNL. Bioethanol Production From H 2/CO 2 by Solventogenesis Using Anaerobic Granular Sludge: Effect of Process Parameters. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:647370. [PMID: 33790882 PMCID: PMC8006448 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.647370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
CO2 fermentation by biocatalysis is a promising route for the sustainable production of valuable chemicals and fuels, such as acetic acid and ethanol. Considering the important role of environmental parameters on fermentation processes, granular sludge from an industrial anaerobic wastewater treatment system was tested as inoculum for ethanol production from H2/CO2 at psychrophilic (18°C), submesophilic (25°C), and mesophilic (30°C) temperatures. The highest acetic acid and ethanol production was obtained at 25°C with a final concentration of 29.7 and 8.8 mM, respectively. The presence of bicarbonate enhanced acetic acid production 3.0 ∼ 4.1-fold, while inhibiting ethanol production. The addition of 0.3 g/L glucose induced butyric acid production (3.7 mM), while 5.7 mM ethanol was produced at the end of the incubation at pH 4 with glucose. The addition of 10 μM W enhanced ethanol production up to 3.8 and 7.0-fold compared to, respectively, 2 μM W addition and the control. The addition of 2 μM Mo enhanced ethanol production up to 8.1- and 5.4-fold compared to, respectively, 10 μM Mo and the control. This study showed that ethanol production from H2/CO2 conversion using granular sludge as the inoculum can be optimized by selecting the operational temperature and by trace metal addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxue He
- National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | | | - Piet N L Lens
- National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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32
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Baleeiro FCF, Kleinsteuber S, Sträuber H. Hydrogen as a Co-electron Donor for Chain Elongation With Complex Communities. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:650631. [PMID: 33898406 PMCID: PMC8059637 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.650631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Electron donor scarcity is seen as one of the major issues limiting economic production of medium-chain carboxylates from waste streams. Previous studies suggest that co-fermentation of hydrogen in microbial communities that realize chain elongation relieves this limitation. To better understand how hydrogen co-feeding can support chain elongation, we enriched three different microbial communities from anaerobic reactors (A, B, and C with ascending levels of diversity) for their ability to produce medium-chain carboxylates from conventional electron donors (lactate or ethanol) or from hydrogen. In the presence of abundant acetate and CO2, the effects of different abiotic parameters (pH values in acidic to neutral range, initial acetate concentration, and presence of chemical methanogenesis inhibitors) were tested along with the enrichment. The presence of hydrogen facilitated production of butyrate by all communities and improved production of i-butyrate and caproate by the two most diverse communities (B and C), accompanied by consumption of acetate, hydrogen, and lactate/ethanol (when available). Under optimal conditions, hydrogen increased the selectivity of conventional electron donors to caproate from 0.23 ± 0.01 mol e-/mol e- to 0.67 ± 0.15 mol e-/mol e- with a peak caproate concentration of 4.0 g L-1. As a trade-off, the best-performing communities also showed hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis activity by Methanobacterium even at high concentrations of undissociated acetic acid of 2.9 g L-1 and at low pH of 4.8. According to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, the suspected caproate producers were assigned to the family Anaerovoracaceae (Peptostreptococcales) and the genera Megasphaera (99.8% similarity to M. elsdenii), Caproiciproducens, and Clostridium sensu stricto 12 (97-100% similarity to C. luticellarii). Non-methanogenic hydrogen consumption correlated to the abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto 12 taxa (p < 0.01). If a robust methanogenesis inhibition strategy can be found, hydrogen co-feeding along with conventional electron donors can greatly improve selectivity to caproate in complex communities. The lessons learned can help design continuous hydrogen-aided chain elongation bioprocesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávio C F Baleeiro
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.,Technical Biology, Institute of Process Engineering in Life Science II, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Sabine Kleinsteuber
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Heike Sträuber
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
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Hernandez P, Zhou M, Vassilev I, Freguia S, Zhang Y, Keller J, Ledezma P, Virdis B. Selective Extraction of Medium-Chain Carboxylic Acids by Electrodialysis and Phase Separation. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:7841-7850. [PMID: 33778296 PMCID: PMC7992139 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Carboxylic acids obtained via the microbial electrochemical conversion of waste gases containing carbon dioxide (i.e., microbial electrosynthesis) can be used in lieu of nonrenewable building-block chemicals in the manufacture of a variety of products. When targeting valuable medium-chain carboxylic acids such as caproic acid, electricity-driven fermentations can be limited by the accumulation of fermentation products in the culturing media, often resulting in low volumetric productivities and titers due to direct toxicity or inhibition of the biocatalyst. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of a simple electrodialysis system in upconcentrating carboxylic acids from a model solution mimicking the effluent of a microbial electrochemical system producing short- and medium-chain carboxylic acids. Under batch extraction conditions, the electrodialysis scheme enabled the recovery of 60% (mol mol-1) of the total carboxylic acids present in the model fermentation broth. The particular arrangement of conventional monopolar ion exchange membranes and hydraulic recirculation loops allowed the progressive acidification of the extraction solution, enabling phase separation of caproic acid as an immiscible oil with 76% purity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula
Andrea Hernandez
- Advanced
Water Management Centre, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Miaomiao Zhou
- Shandong
University, 72 Binhai Road, Jimo District, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Igor Vassilev
- Faculty
of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere
University, P.O. Box 589, Tampere FI-33014, Finland
| | - Stefano Freguia
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Yang Zhang
- College
of Environment and Safety Engineering, Qingdao
University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Jürg Keller
- Advanced
Water Management Centre, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Pablo Ledezma
- Advanced
Water Management Centre, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Bernardino Virdis
- Advanced
Water Management Centre, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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Reddy CN, Kondaveeti S, Min B. Influence of Trace Metals concentration on Methane generation using Microbial Electrochemical Systems. Process Biochem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2020.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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35
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Rovira-Alsina L, Balaguer MD, Puig S. Thermophilic bio-electro carbon dioxide recycling harnessing renewable energy surplus. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 321:124423. [PMID: 33260066 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Renewable energies will represent an increasing share of the electricity supply, while flue and gasification-derived gases can be a promising CO2 feedstock with a heat load. In this study, microbial electrosynthesis of organic compounds from CO2 at high temperature was proposed as an alternative for valorising energy surplus and decarbonizing the economy. The unremitting fluctuation of renewable energy sources was assessed using two bioreactors at 50 °C, under circumstances of continuous and intermittent power supply (ON-OFF; 8-16 h), simulating an off-grid photovoltaic system. Results highlighted that maximum acetate production rate (43.27 g m-2 d-1) and columbic efficiency (98%) were achieved by working with an intermittent energy supply, while current density was reduced three times. This boosted the production of acetate per unit of electricity provided up to 138 g kWh-1 and reinforced the robustness of the technology by showing resilience to tolerate perturbations and returning to its initial state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rovira-Alsina
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, C/Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - M Dolors Balaguer
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, C/Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sebastià Puig
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, C/Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Izadi P, Fontmorin JM, Lim SS, Head IM, Yu EH. Enhanced bio-production from CO 2 by microbial electrosynthesis (MES) with continuous operational mode. Faraday Discuss 2021; 230:344-359. [PMID: 34259692 DOI: 10.1039/d0fd00132e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Technologies able to convert CO2 to various feedstocks for fuels and chemicals are emerging due to the urge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and de-fossilizing chemical production. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) has been shown a promising technique to synthesize organic products particularly acetate using microorganisms and electrons. However, the efficiency of the system is low. In this study, we demonstrated the simple yet efficient strategy in enhancing the efficiency of MES by applying continuous feeding regime. Compared to the fed-batch system, continuous operational mode provided better control of pH and constant medium refreshment, resulting in higher acetate production rate and more diverse bio-products, when the cathodic potential of -1.0 V Ag/AgCl and dissolved CO2 were provided. It was observed that hydraulic retention time (HRT) had a direct effect on the pattern of production, acetate production rate and coulombic efficiency. At HRT of 3 days, pH was around 5.2 and acetate was the dominant product with the highest production rate of 651.8 ± 214.2 ppm per day and a significant coulombic efficiency of 90%. However at the HRT of 7 days, pH was lower at around 4.5, and lower but stable acetate production rate of 280 ppm per day and a maximum coulombic efficiency of 80% was obtained. In addition, more diverse and longer chain products, such as butyrate, isovalerate and caproate, were detected with low concentrations only at the HRT of 7 days. Although microbial community analysis showed the change in the planktonic cells communities after switching the fed-batch mode to continuous feeding regime, Acetobacterium still remained as the responsible bacteria for CO2 reduction to acetate, dominating the cathodic biofilm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paniz Izadi
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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37
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Parameters influencing the development of highly conductive and efficient biofilm during microbial electrosynthesis: the importance of applied potential and inorganic carbon source. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2020; 6:40. [PMID: 33056998 PMCID: PMC7560852 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-020-00151-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cathode-driven applications of bio-electrochemical systems (BESs) have the potential to transform CO2 into value-added chemicals using microorganisms. However, their commercialisation is limited as biocathodes in BESs are characterised by slow start-up and low efficiency. Understanding biosynthesis pathways, electron transfer mechanisms and the effect of operational variables on microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is of fundamental importance to advance these applications of a system that has the capacity to convert CO2 to organics and is potentially sustainable. In this work, we demonstrate that cathodic potential and inorganic carbon source are keys for the development of a dense and conductive biofilm that ensures high efficiency in the overall system. Applying the cathodic potential of −1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl and providing only gaseous CO2 in our system, a dense biofilm dominated by Acetobacterium (ca. 50% of biofilm) was formed. The superior biofilm density was significantly correlated with a higher production yield of organic chemicals, particularly acetate. Together, a significant decrease in the H2 evolution overpotential (by 200 mV) and abundant nifH genes within the biofilm were observed. This can only be mechanistically explained if intracellular hydrogen production with direct electron uptake from the cathode via nitrogenase within bacterial cells is occurring in addition to the commonly observed extracellular H2 production. Indeed, the enzymatic activity within the biofilm accelerated the electron transfer. This was evidenced by an increase in the coulombic efficiency (ca. 69%) and a 10-fold decrease in the charge transfer resistance. This is the first report of such a significant decrease in the charge resistance via the development of a highly conductive biofilm during MES. The results highlight the fundamental importance of maintaining a highly active autotrophic Acetobacterium population through feeding CO2 in gaseous form, which its dominance in the biocathode leads to a higher efficiency of the system.
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Qian DK, Geng ZQ, Sun T, Dai K, Zhang W, Jianxiong Zeng R, Zhang F. Caproate production from xylose by mesophilic mixed culture fermentation. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2020; 308:123318. [PMID: 32278998 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Caproate production by mixed culture fermentation (MCF) is economically attractive. Xylose is known as the second most abundant sugar in nature, however, producing caproate from xylose is never reported. In this study, caproate production from xylose by mesophilic MCF was firstly investigated. The results showed that as pH decreasing to 5.0, the caproate concentration was 2.06 g/L in a batch reactor and was between 0.45 and 1.07 g/L in a continuously stirred reactor. Microbial analysis illustrated that Caproiciproducens and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_12, as two main identified caproate producers, occupied over 50% and around 10% of mixed culture, respectively. Thus, caproate production from xylose was proposed via the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, not the well-known reverse β-oxidation pathway. These unexpected differences from literatures gains more understanding about caproate production from organic substrates via MCF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding-Kang Qian
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Zi-Qian Geng
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Ting Sun
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Kun Dai
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Fang Zhang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
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Grimalt-Alemany A, Łężyk M, Asimakopoulos K, Skiadas IV, Gavala HN. Cryopreservation and fast recovery of enriched syngas-converting microbial communities. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 177:115747. [PMID: 32283432 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decades, the use of mixed microbial communities has attracted increasing scientific attention due to their potential biotechnological applications in several emerging technological platforms such as the carboxylate, bioplastic, syngas and bio-electrochemical synthesis platforms. However, this increasing interest has not been accompanied by a parallel development of suitable cryopreservation techniques for microbial communities. While cryopreservation methods for the long-term storage of axenic cultures are well established, their effectiveness in preserving the microbial diversity and functionality of microbial communities has rarely been studied. In this study, the effect of the addition of different cryopreservation agents on the long-term storage of microbial communities at -80 °C was studied using a stable enrichment culture converting syngas into acetate and ethanol. The cryopreservation agents considered in the study were glycerol, dimethylsulfoxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, Tween 80 and yeast extract, as well as with no addition of cryopreservation agent. Their effectiveness was evaluated based on the microbial activity recovery and the maintenance of the microbial diversity and community structure upon revival of the microbial community. The results showed that the commonly used glycerol and no addition of cryopreservation agent were the least recommendable methods for the long-term frozen storage of microbial communities, while Tween 80 and polyvinylpyrrolidone were overall the most effective. Among the cryoprotectants studied, polyvinylpyrrolidone and especially Tween 80 were the only ones assuring reproducible results in terms of microbial activity recovery and microbial community structure preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Grimalt-Alemany
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 229, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Mateusz Łężyk
- Institute of Environmental Engineering and Building Installations, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965, Poznań, Poland
| | - Konstantinos Asimakopoulos
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 229, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ioannis V Skiadas
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 229, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hariklia N Gavala
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 229, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark.
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40
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Microbial electrosynthesis from CO2: forever a promise? Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 62:48-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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41
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Chen H, Luo J, Liu S, Yuan Z, Guo J. Microbial Methane Conversion to Short-Chain Fatty Acids Using Various Electron Acceptors in Membrane Biofilm Reactors. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:12846-12855. [PMID: 31593452 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b06767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Given our vast methane reserves and the forecasted shortage of crude oil in the not too distant future, the conversion of methane into value-added liquid chemicals or fuels would be beneficial. The generated chemicals or fuels could augment the petroleum-dominated chemical market, and also satisfy the increasing demand for transportation fuels. While methane bioconversion to liquid chemicals has just been reported recently, there is limited understanding of the process. This study aims to clarify the potential electron acceptors that could support the process. Here we operated four membrane biofilm reactors (MBfRs) fed with nitrate, nitrite, oxygen at a relatively low rate, and oxygen at a relatively high rate, respectively, to study if they can support methane bioconversion to short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the associated microbiological features. All tested electron acceptors facilitated methane bioconversion to SCFAs (ranging from 1.1 to 36.7 mg acetate L-1 d-1, or 3.4 to 114.6 mg acetate d-1 m-2 of biofilm). The carbon efficiency was estimated to be 7.9 ± 1.4% to 148.5 ± 1.3%, with an efficiency higher than 100%, suggesting the assimilation of other carbon, very likely CO2, into the products. A low oxygen supply rate of 46.4 ± 2.3 mg O2 d-1 m-2 was found to be the most favorable among all the electron conditions provided according to the SCFAs production rate and also the carbon utilization efficiency. Microbial characterization revealed that completely different communities evolved in the respective reactors, suggesting diverse microbial pathways exist for methane bioconversion into value-added chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Advanced Water Management Centre , The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Jinghuan Luo
- Advanced Water Management Centre , The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Shuai Liu
- Advanced Water Management Centre , The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre , The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Advanced Water Management Centre , The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland 4072 , Australia
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Syngas-aided anaerobic fermentation for medium-chain carboxylate and alcohol production: the case for microbial communities. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:8689-8709. [PMID: 31612269 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10086-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Syngas fermentation has been successfully implemented in commercial-scale plants and can enable the biochemical conversion of the driest fractions of biomass through synthesis gas (H2, CO2, and CO). The process relies on optimized acetogenic strains able to reach and maintain high productivity of ethanol and acetate. In parallel, microbial communities have shown to be the best choice for the production of valuable medium-chain carboxylates through anaerobic fermentation of biomass, demanding low technical complexity and being able to realize simultaneous hydrolysis of the substrate. Each of the two technologies benefits from different strong points and has different challenges to overcome. This review discusses the rationales for merging these two seemingly disparate technologies by analyzing previous studies and drawing opinions based on the lessons learned from such studies. For keeping the technical demands of the resulting process low, a case is built for using microbial communities instead of pure strains. For that to occur, a shift from conventional syngas-based to "syngas-aided" anaerobic fermentation is suggested. Strategies for tackling the intricacies of working simultaneously with communities and syngas, such as competing pathways, and thermodynamic aspects are discussed as well as the stoichiometry and economic feasibility of the concept. Overall, syngas-aided anaerobic fermentation seems to be a promising concept for the biorefinery of the future. However, the effects of process parameters on microbial interactions have to be understood in greater detail, in order to achieve and sustain feasible medium-chain carboxylate and alcohol productivity.
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Cantos-Parra E, Ramió-Pujol S, Colprim J, Puig S, Bañeras L. Specific detection of "Clostridium autoethanogenum", Clostridium ljungdahlii and Clostridium carboxidivorans in complex bioreactor samples. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 365:5062789. [PMID: 30084932 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The high genetic similarity between some carboxydotrophic bacteria does not allow for the use of common sequencing techniques targeting the 16S rRNA gene for species identification. 16S rRNA sequencing fails to discriminate among Clostridium ljungdahlii and 'Clostridium autoethanogenum', despite this two species exhibit significant differences in CO2 assimilation and alcohol production. In this work we designed PCR primers targeting for the DNA gyrase subunit A (gyrA) and a putative formate/nitrite transporter (fnt) to specifically detect the presence of 'C. autoethanogenum', C. ljungdahlii or Clostridium carboxidivorans. We could confirm the simultaneous presence of C. ljungdahlii and 'C. autoethanogenum' in different bioreactors, and a preference of the latter for high CO2 content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Cantos-Parra
- Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology (IEA), University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 40, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sara Ramió-Pujol
- Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology (IEA), University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 40, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.,GoodGut, Centre d'Empreses Giroemprèn, Parc Científic i Tecnològic UdG, Carrer Pic de Peguera, 11, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jesús Colprim
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment. University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sebastià Puig
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment. University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lluís Bañeras
- Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology (IEA), University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 40, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
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Enhancing bio-alcohol production from volatile fatty acids by suppressing methanogenic activity in single chamber microbial electrosynthesis cells (SCMECs). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biteb.2019.100292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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45
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Engineering Clostridium for improved solvent production: recent progress and perspective. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:5549-5566. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09916-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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46
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Carrillo-Barragan P, Bowler B, Dolfing J, Sallis P, Gray ND. Enrichment and Characterisation of a Mixed-Source Ethanologenic Community Degrading the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste Under Minimal Environmental Control. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:722. [PMID: 31024500 PMCID: PMC6465759 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The utilisation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste as feedstock for bioethanol production could reduce the need for disposal of the ever-increasing amounts of municipal solid waste, especially in developing countries, and fits with the integrated goals of climate change mitigation and transport energy security. Mixed culture fermentation represents a suitable approach to handle the complexity and variability of such waste, avoiding expensive and vulnerable closed-control operational conditions. It is widely accepted that the control of pH in these systems can direct the fermentation process toward a desired fermentation product, however, little empirical evidence has been provided in respect of lignocellulosic waste substrates and different environmental inocula sources. We evaluated ethanol production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste using five different inocula sources where lignocellulose degradation putatively occurs, namely, compost, woodland soil, rumen, cow faeces and anaerobic granular sludge, when incubated in batch microcosms at either initially neutral or acidic pH and under initially aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Although ethanol was produced by all the inocula tested, their performance was different in response to the imposed experimental conditions. Rumen and anaerobic granular sludge produced significantly the highest ethanol concentrations (∼30 mM) under initially neutral and acidic pH, respectively. A mixed-source community formed by mixing rumen and sludge (R + S) was then tested over a range of initial pH. In contrast to the differences observed for the individual inocula, the maximal ethanol production of the mixed community was not significantly different at initial pH of 5.5 and 7. Consistent with this broader functionality, the microbial community analyses confirmed the R + S community enriched comprised bacterial taxa representative of both original inocula. It was demonstrated that the interaction of initial pH and inocula source dictated ethanologenic activity from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Furthermore, the ethanologenic mixed-source community enriched, was comprised of taxa belonging to the two original inocula sources (rumen and sludge) and had a broader functionality. This information is relevant when diverse inocula sources are combined for mix culture fermentation studies as it experimentally demonstrates the benefits of diversity and function assembled from different inocula.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bernard Bowler
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Dolfing
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Sallis
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Duncan Gray
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Vassilev I, Kracke F, Freguia S, Keller J, Krömer JO, Ledezma P, Virdis B. Microbial electrosynthesis system with dual biocathode arrangement for simultaneous acetogenesis, solventogenesis and carbon chain elongation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:4351-4354. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cc00208a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A microbial electrosynthesis cell comprising two biological cathode chambers sharing the same anode compartment is used to promote the production of C2–C4 carboxylic acids and alcohols from carbon dioxide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Vassilev
- Advanced Water Management Centre
- The University of Queensland
- Brisbane
- Australia
| | - Frauke Kracke
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Stanford University
- Stanford
- USA
| | - Stefano Freguia
- Advanced Water Management Centre
- The University of Queensland
- Brisbane
- Australia
| | - Jürg Keller
- Advanced Water Management Centre
- The University of Queensland
- Brisbane
- Australia
| | - Jens O. Krömer
- Department for Solar Materials
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
- Leipzig 04318
- Germany
| | - Pablo Ledezma
- Advanced Water Management Centre
- The University of Queensland
- Brisbane
- Australia
| | - Bernardino Virdis
- Advanced Water Management Centre
- The University of Queensland
- Brisbane
- Australia
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48
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49
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Spirito CM, Marzilli AM, Angenent LT. Higher Substrate Ratios of Ethanol to Acetate Steered Chain Elongation toward n-Caprylate in a Bioreactor with Product Extraction. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:13438-13447. [PMID: 30335369 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b03856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Syngas fermentation to ethanol and acetate has recently been coupled to microbial chain elongation to produce medium-chain carboxylates, including n-caproate and n-caprylate. These medium-chain carboxylates are relatively hydrophobic, and thus easier to extract from solution than miscible ethanol. Here, we examined the effect of 11 different ethanol-to-acetate substrate ratios (ranging from 1.8 to 275 g COD g COD-1 [1.2 to 183 mol mol-1]) on directing chain elongation toward n-caprylate in a 0.7-L upflow anaerobic filter with product extraction. During an eight-month operating period, we monitored the performance and characterized the microbiome composition of this chain-elongating bioreactor. We also developed a thermodynamic model to predict the favorability of n-caprylate production at different substrate ratios. As predicted by our model, higher ethanol-to-acetate substrate ratios fed to our bioreactor led to higher specificities for n-caprylate production. We observed that feeding primarily ethanol to the bioreactor (i.e., ethanol-to-acetate substrate ratio of 275 g COD g COD-1) resulted in the highest specificity for n-caprylate, but the n-caprylate production rate decreased at this high ratio, resulting in lower conversion efficiencies. Thus, care should be taken not to overload the system with primarily ethanol as the substrate and to lower the organic loading rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Spirito
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering , Cornell University , Ithaca , New York 14853 , United States
| | - Alexander M Marzilli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering , Cornell University , Ithaca , New York 14853 , United States
| | - Largus T Angenent
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering , Cornell University , Ithaca , New York 14853 , United States
- Center for Applied Geosciences , University of Tübingen , 72074 Tübingen , Germany
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50
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Srikanth S, Kumar M, Singh D, Singh MP, Puri SK, Ramakumar SSV. Long-term operation of electro-biocatalytic reactor for carbon dioxide transformation into organic molecules. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 265:66-74. [PMID: 29883848 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.12.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Electro-biocatalytic reactor was operated using selectively enriched mixed culture biofilm for about 320 days with CO2/bicarbonate as C-source. Biocathode consumed higher current (-16.2 ± 0.3 A/m2) for bicarbonate transformation yielding high product synthesis (0.74 g/l/day) compared to CO2 (-9.5 ± 2.8 A/m2; 0.41 g/l/day). Product slate includes butanol and butyric acid when CO2 gets transformed but propionic acid replaced both when bicarbonate gets transformed. Based on electroanalysis, the electron transfer might be H2 mediated along with direct transfer under bicarbonate turnover conditions, while it was restricted to direct under CO2. Efficiency and stability of biofilm was tested by removing the planktonic cells, and also confirmed in terms of Coulombic (85-97%) and carbon conversion efficiencies (42-48%) along with production rate (1.2-1.7 kg/m2 electrode) using bicarbonate as substrate. Selective enrichment of microbes and their growth as biofilm along with soluble CO2 have helped in efficient transformation of CO2 up to C4 organic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandipam Srikanth
- Industrial Biotechnology Department, Research and Development Center, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sector-13, Faridabad, Haryana 121007, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Industrial Biotechnology Department, Research and Development Center, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sector-13, Faridabad, Haryana 121007, India.
| | - Dheer Singh
- Industrial Biotechnology Department, Research and Development Center, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sector-13, Faridabad, Haryana 121007, India
| | - M P Singh
- Industrial Biotechnology Department, Research and Development Center, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sector-13, Faridabad, Haryana 121007, India
| | - S K Puri
- Industrial Biotechnology Department, Research and Development Center, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sector-13, Faridabad, Haryana 121007, India
| | - S S V Ramakumar
- Industrial Biotechnology Department, Research and Development Center, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sector-13, Faridabad, Haryana 121007, India
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