Recovery of Butanol From a Two Step Fermentation of Algae Using Clostridium Tryobutyricum and Clostridium Beijerinckii

The ABE process has been around for decades to produce butanol. However, yields are typically low. We are exploring a two step process, first proposed by Ramey (1998 patent) to produce butanol. In the second step of thei process, butyric acid is used to produce butanol. Although this has been explored, little has been looked at using pervaporation with the two step process. Thus, sugars from algae are used to feed a continuous CSTR reactor charged with Clostridium Beijerinckii. This process has been connected to pervaporation to test the yields possible. This poster will explore the fundamental mechanisms of the two step fermentation process using separation.