Bioethanol production from wheat straw by the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus CECT 10875 in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation fed-batch process

Solid content in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) broth should be as high as possible in order to reach higher ethanol concentration. In this work, several feeding strategies for ethanol production from steam-exploded wheat straw by Kluyveromyces marxianus CECT 10875 have been studied with the aim of obtaining higher ethanol concentrations. Previous fermentability tests as well as SSF processes showed the difficulty of using the slurry for ethanol production under the studied conditions. Notwithstanding, fed-batch SSF processes with water-insoluble solids (WIS) fraction resulted in better configuration, reaching the highest ethanol concentration (36.2 g/L) with an initial WIS content of 10% (w/v) and 4% (w/v) of substrate addition at 12 h, which meant 20% more ethanol when compared with batch SSF.     

Physical and frictional properties of non-treated and steam exploded barley, canola, oat and wheat straw grinds

During storage and handling, accurate knowledge of the physical and frictional behaviors of biomass grinds is essential for the efficient design of equipment. Therefore, experiments were performed on non-treated and steam exploded barley, canola, oat and wheat straw grinds to determine their coefficient of internal friction and cohesion at three hammer mill screen sizes of 6.4, 3.2 and 1.6 mm, three normal stress values of 9.8, 19.6 and 39.2 kPa at 10% moisture content (wb). At any specific hammer mill screen size, the geometric mean particle size and bulk density of non-treated straw was significantly larger than steam exploded straw. The bulk density of ground straw significantly increased with a decrease in hammer mill screen sizes. The steam exploded straw grinds resulted in higher coefficient of internal friction compared to non-treated straw grinds primarily because of lower bulk densities. The coefficient of friction for non-treated barley, canola, oat and wheat straw were in the range of 0.505 to 0.584, 0.661 to 0.665, 0.498 to 0.590, and 0.532 to 0.591, respectively. Similarly, the coefficient of friction for steam exploded barley, canola, oat and wheat straw were in the range of 0.562 to 0.738, 0.708 to 0.841, 0.660 to 0.860, and 0.616 to 1.036, respectively, which were higher than non-treated straw of the kind. Power, logarithmic or exponential equations were developed to predict the coefficient of internal friction and cohesion with respect to average geometric mean particle sizes for non-treated and steam explode barley, canola, oat and wheat straw grinds.     

汽爆玉米秸秆羧甲基纤维素的制备

秸秆是自然界中资源丰富的天然木质纤维素原料, 本研究以秸秆为反应原料,采用无污染蒸汽爆破技术活化预处理,然后进行羧甲基化反应,通过反应产物理化性质的不同实现秸秆的组分分离并制备出高附加值的羧甲基纤维素。实验结果表明：制备羧甲基纤维素的最优条件为液固比（ml∶g）18∶1,氢氧化钠∶氯乙酸钠(摩尔比)为4∶3,H₂O/底物（ml∶g）为1∶2,75℃反应2 h。在优化的反应条件下,从羧甲基化产物中可分离得到40.70%的羧甲基纤维素,其取代度可达0.91, 而且具有低黏的性质,并利用红外图谱和¹H NMR进行了分析表征;同时,还可从羧甲基化产物中分离出木质素组分,可进一步拓展其在工业方面的用途。相对于目前工业上普遍采用的α-纤维素含量较高的棉浆和木浆等反应原料,不仅原料和预处理成本大为下降, 工艺流程更为简单,而且还实现了秸秆的组分分离与全利用。     

蒸汽爆破麦草同步糖化发酵转化乙醇的研究

近年来对木质生物资源同步糖化发酵转化乙醇的研究较多,但是,麦草同步糖化发酵转化乙醇的最佳工艺条件还未确定。文中采用正交试验设计的方法,对在混合酶(纤维素酶Celluclast 1.5 1,β-葡萄糖苷酶Novozym 188)与酿酒酵母菌作用下,稀硫酸催化的蒸汽爆破麦草原料同步糖化发酵转化乙醇的工艺条件进行研究,详细讨论了反应温度、底物质量浓度、发酵液pH值、纤维素酶浓度对乙醇质量浓度和得率的影响。结果表明,工艺条件对乙醇质量浓度和得率的影响程度由高到低依次为:底物质量浓度、纤维素酶浓度、发酵液pH值、反应温度。最佳工艺条件为反应温度35℃,底物质量浓度100 g/L,发酵液pH值5.0,纤维素酶浓度30 FPU/g。在此条件下,随着反应时间的延长,乙醇质量浓度持续上升。反应72 h后,乙醇质量浓度和得率分别达到22.7 g/L和65.8%。     

Enhanced ethanol production from enzymatically treated steam‐exploded rice straw using extractive fermentation

Alcohol fermentation of an enzymatic hydrolyzate of exploded rice straw was studied experimentally. Rice straw was treated under variable conditions, such as steam pressure and steaming time. The exploded rice straw was separated into water‐soluble material, methanol‐soluble lignin, Klason lignin, and a mixture of cellulose and a low molecular weight substance. The effects of steam explosion on the characteristics of the exploded rice straw were clarified from the point of view of the amounts of extractive components. Steam explosion was found to be effective for the delignification of rice straw and for increasing its susceptibility to enzyme hydrolysis and alcohol fermentation. The polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose) in the rice straw treated at a steam pressure of 3.5 MPa with a steaming time of 2 min were hydrolyzed almost completely into monosaccharides, (ie glucose and xylose) by a mixture of Trichoderma viride cellulase (Meicelase) and Aspergillus aculeatus cellulase (Acucelase). The enzymatic hydrolyzate of exploded rice straw was converted into ethanol efficiently by Pichia stipitis and the ethanol yield from sugar was about 86%(w/w) of the theoretical value. The ethanol concentration in a membrane bioreactor coupled with a pervaporation system reached 50 gdm^?3 and was about five times higher than that in the culture broth. The energy efficiency (ratio of combustion energy of ethanol produced to energy for steam explosion) reached a maximum value at a pressure of 3.5 MPa for 2 min. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for steam exploded wheat straw to ethanol

Although simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) has been investigated extensively, the optimum condition for SSF of wheat straw has not yet been determined. Dilute sulfuric acid impregnated and steam explosion pretreated wheat straw was used as a substrate for the production of ethanol by SSF through orthogonal experiment design in this study. Cellulase mixture (Celluclast 1.5 l and β-glucosidase Novozym 188) were adopted in combination with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae AS2.1. The effects of reaction temperature, substrate concentration, initial fermentation liquid pH value and enzyme loading were evaluated and the SSF conditions were optimized. The ranking, from high to low, of influential extent of the SSF affecting factors to ethanol concentration and yield was substrate concentration, enzyme loading, initial fermentation liquid pH value and reaction temperature, respectively. The optimal SSF conditions were: reaction temperature, 35°C; substrate concentration, 100 g·L⁻¹; initial fermentation liquid pH, 5.0; enzyme loading, 30 FPU·g⁻¹. Under these conditions, the ethanol concentration increased with reaction time, and after 72 h, ethanol was obtained in 65.8% yield with a concentration of 22.7 g·L⁻¹. __________ Translated from Chemical Engineering (China), 2007, 35(12): 42–45 [译自: 化学工程]     

Synthesis gas production by steam reforming of ethanol

A two-layer fixed-bed catalytic reactor for syngas production by steam reforming of ethanol has been proposed. In the reactor, ethanol is first converted to a mixture of methane, carbon oxides and hydrogen over a Pd-based catalyst and then this mixture is converted to syngas over a Ni-based catalyst for methane steam reforming. It has been shown that the use of the two-layer fixed-bed reactor prevents coke formation and provides the syngas yield closed to equilibrium.     

Bioethanol production from renewable polymer lichenan using lichenase from an alkalothermophilic Thermomonospora sp. and thermotolerant yeast

Biomass feedstocks available decentrally will be more commodious for localized biorefinery approach than the exhaustive large scale and centralized plants driven by cost intensive technology. Lichen is present in a wide range of habitats in a distributed manner. A maximum hydrolysis of 73%-76% for lichenan from Cetraria islandica, Usnea barbata and Parmelia sp. were obtained in 24 h using lichenase from an alkalothermophilic Thermomonospora sp. wherein the hydrolysis was 100% with commercial enzyme Accellerase™1000. The synergistic role of β-glucosidase in lichenan hydrolysis was demonstrated by the exogenous addition of β-glucosidase to Thermomonospora lichenase which resulted in complete hydrolysis. The hydrolysates of lichenan obtained using Accellerase or a cocktail of Thermomonospora lichenase and β-glucosidase when fermented with free cells of Saccharomyces at 40 °C produced an ethanol yield of 0.45 g/g-0.48 g/g with theoretical conversion efficiencies of 93%-96%. The Ca-alginate immobilized yeast cells were reused eight times at 40 °C with 100% fermentation efficiency.     

Direct ethanol production from rice straw by coculture with two high-performing fungi

To develop efficient and economical direct ethanol production from fine rice straw crashed mechanically, two high-performing fungi, which can secret hyperactive cellulases and/or ferment effectively various sugars, were selected from some strains belong to Mucor circinelloides preserved in our laboratory. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) by coculture with these fungi was investigated. The screening of high-performing fungi resulted in the selection of NBRC 4572 as an ethanol-producing fungus and NBRC 5398 as a cellulase-secreting fungus. The strain 4572 produced ethanol aerobically from glucose and xylose in high yields of 0.420 g/g at 36 h and 0.478 g/g at 60 h, respectively, but secreted fairly low cellulases. On the other hand, the strain 5398 also produced ethanol from glucose in yield of 0.340 g/g though it had a little growth in xylose culture. However, it secreted hyperactive cellulases that are essential for hydrolysis of rice straw in culture and the maximum activities of endo-β-glucanase and β-glucosidase were 2.11 U/L and 1.47 U/L, respectively. In SSF of rice straw by coculture with two fungi selected, the ethanol production reached 1.28 g/L after 96 h when the inoculation ratio of the strain 5398 to the strain 4572 was 9.     

双酵母发酵膨化秸秆酶解液产乙醇研究

为了提高玉米秸秆的酶解率,对玉米秸秆进行膨化预处理,以乙醇质量浓度为影响值设计实验,研究时间、含氮量、温度、酵母比例四因素对发酵过程的影响。通过单因素试验及正交试验确定了双酵母发酵的最佳试验条件为48 h、含氮质量分数0.25%、33℃、酿酒酵母与毕赤酵母体积比3∶7,乙醇质量浓度可达10.2 g/L。本试验为秸秆乙醇的产业化生产提供技术依据。     

Bioethanol production from corn meal by simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and fermentation with immobilized cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus

The simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of corn meal using immobilized cells of Saccharomycescerevisiae var. ellipsoideus yeast in a batch system was studied. The yeast cells were immobilized in Ca-alginate by electrostatic droplet generation method. The process kinetics was assessed and determined and the effect of addition of various yeast activators (mineral salts: ZnSO₄ · 7H₂O and MgSO₄ · 7H₂O, and vitamins: Ca-pantothenate, biotin and myo-inositol) separately or mixed, was investigated. Taking into account high values of process parameters (such as ethanol concentration, ethanol yield, percentage of the theoretical ethanol yield, volumetric productivity and utilized glucose) and significant energy savings the SSF process was found to be superior compared to the SHF process. Further improvement in ethanol production was accomplished with the addition of mineral salts as yeast activators which contributed to the highest increase in ethanol production. In this case, the ethanol concentration of 10.23% (w/w), percentage of the theoretical ethanol yield of 98.08%, the ethanol yield of 0.55 g/g and the volumetric productivity of 2.13 g/l·h were obtained.     

Yolk-shell structured Pt-CeO2@Ni-SiO2 as an efficient catalyst for enhanced hydrogen production from ethanol steam reforming

A novel Pt-CeO₂@Ni-SiO₂ yolk-shell catalyst was fabricated through modified Stöber method and was applied to the ethanol steam reforming reaction. The catalyst structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Compared with the mechanically mixed catalyst, the yolk-shell catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance and stability in ethanol steam reforming. The selection of hydrogen reached as high as 66%, and the conversion reached nearly 100% at 400 °C for 28 h.     

Comparative study of H2 production by ethanol steam reforming on Ce2Zr1.5Co0.5O8−δ and Ce2Zr1.5Co0.47Rh0.07O8−δ: Evidence of the Rh role on the deactivation process

The catalytic performance of Ce₂Zr_1.5Co_0.5O_8−δ and Ce₂Zr_1.5Co_0.47Rh_0.07O_8−δ mixed oxides was evaluated comparing the influence of Rh insertion for hydrogen production in ethanol steam reforming. Rh doped and not doped catalysts were prepared by the pseudo sol–gel like method and were characterized using DRX, TPR, SEM, and TPO. For the Rh-doped catalyst, it was found an easier structure reducibility allowing to avoid a reducing activation treatment. The reactivity results show that lifetime of Ce₂Zr_1.5Co_0.47Rh_0.07O_8−δ mixed oxide is more than 30 times higher, compared to the Ce₂Zr_1.5Co_0.5O_8−δ mixed oxide. Catalytic tests under various water/ethanol ratios and ethylene and acetaldehyde steam reforming evidence that the deactivation process for the catalytic systems is not only related to carbon deposits but also to carbonate species, which can be form from an acetaldehyde reaction sequence. The benefic effect of rhodium would ascribe to its ability to avoid carbonates formation under reaction, preventing the blocking of the active oxygen vacancies of the mixed oxide support.