N-Butanol Production Via Fermentation of Sugar Maple Wood Extract Hydrolysate

In this study, the production of n-butanol via fermentation of sugar maple hemicellulose hydrolysate, using Clostridium Acetobutylicum ATCC824 and Clostridium Beijerinckii ATCC 35702 were investigated. When using static pH-uncontrolled fermentation in untreated hydrolysate, ATCC 824 only produced 0.2g/L butanol. Over -liming and increasing osmotic pressure of hydrolysate with added phosphate salt significantly increased butanol production from 0.2 to 2.4g/L. However using dynamic pH-controlled stirred tank reactor significantly improved the butanol production of ATCC 824 from the concentrated hydrolysate without treatment. After 96 hours fermentation 53 g/L reducing sugar was consumed and 7 g/L butanol, 2.64g/L acetone and 0.81g/L ethanol were produced by C. acetobutylicum ATCC824. For C. Beijerinckii ATCC 35702 in untreated hydrolysate and at first 48 hours, cells utilized about 35 g/L reducing sugar and produced 4.65 g/L butanol, 2.11g/L ethanol and 2.27g/L acetone. Unfortunately after 48 hours ATCC 35702 stopped growing and utilizing substrate.