Title
Evaluation of lignocellulosic material for butanol production using enzymatic hydrolysate medium
Authors
JASMINE ROTH and NILS TIPPKOTTER

Published Volume 50 Issue 3-4 March-April
Keywords lignocellulosic material, ABE fermentation, Clostridium acetobutylicum, inhibitors, xylose fermentation, enzymatic hydrolysis

Abstract
Butanol is a promising gasoline additive and platform chemical that can be readily produced via acetone-butanol ethanol (ABE) fermentation from pretreated lignocellulosic materials. This article examines lignocellulosic material from beech wood for ABE fermentation, using Clostridium acetobutylicum. First, the utilization of both C_5- (xylose) and C_6- (glucose) sugars as sole carbon source was investigated in static cultivation, using serum bottles and synthetic medium. The utilization of pentose sugar resulted in a solvent yield of 0.231 g·g_sugar^-11, compared to 0.262 g·g_sugar^-1 using hexose. Then, the Organosolv pretreated crude cellulose fibers (CF) were enzymatically decomposed, and the resulting hydrolysate medium was analyzed for inhibiting compounds (furans, organic acids, phenolics) and treated with ion exchangers for detoxification. Batch fermentation in a bioreactor using CF hydrolysate medium resulted in a total solvent yield of 0.20 g_ABE·g_sugar^-1.