Continuous production of succinic acid by a fumarate-reducing bacterium immobilized in a hollow-fiber bioreactor

Enterococcus faecalis RKY1, a fumarate-reducing bacterium, was immobilized in an asymmetric hollow-fiber bioreactor (HFBR) for the continuous production of succinic acid. The cells were inoculated into the shell side of the HFBR, which was operated in transverse mode. Since the pH values in the HFBR declined during continuous operation to about 5.7, it was necessary to change the feed pH from 7.0 to 8.0 after 24 h of operation in order to enhance production of succinic acid. During continuous operation with a medium containing fumarate and glycerol, the productivity of succinate was 3.0–10.9 g/(L·h) with an initial concentration of 30 g/L of fumarate, 4.9–14.9 g/(L·h) with 50 g/L of fumarate, and 7.2–17.1 g/(L·h) with 80 g/L of fumarate for dilution rates between 0.1 and 0.4 h⁻¹. The maximum productivity of succinate obtained by the HFBR (17.1 g of succinate /[L·h]) was 1.7 times higher than that of the batch bioconversions (9.9 g of succinate /[L·h]) with 80 g/L of fumarate. Furthermore, the long-term stability of the HFBR was demonstrated with a continuously efficient production of succinate for more than 15 d (360 h).     

Inhibition of microbial xylitol production by acetic acid and its relation with fermentative parameters

Precipitated sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate containing acetic acid was fermented by Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 under different operational conditions (pH 4.0 and 7.0, three aeration rates). At pH 7.0 and k _L a of 10 (0.75 vvm) and 22.5/h (3.0 vvm) the acetic acid had not been consumed until the end of the fermentations, whereas at the same pH and k _L a of 35/h (4.5 vvm) the acid was rapidly consumed and acetic acid inhibition was not important. On the other hand, fermentations at an initial pH of 4.0 and k _L a of 22.5 and 35/h required less time for the acid uptake than fermentations at k _L a of 10/h. The acetic acid assimilation by the yeast indicates the ability of this strain to ferment in partially detoxified medium, making possible the utilization of the sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate in this bioprocess. The effects on xylitol yield and production are reported.     

Production of bacterial cellulose by Gluconacetobacter sp. RKY5 isolated from persimmon vinegar

The optimum fermentation medium for the production of bacterial cellulose (BC) by a newly isolated Gluconacetobacter sp. RKY5 was investigated. The optimized medium composition for cellulose production was determined to be 15 g/L glycerol, 8 g/L yeast extract, 3 g/L K₂HPO₄, and 3 g/L acetic acid. Under these optimized culture medium, Gluconacetobacter sp. RKY5 produced 5.63 g/L of BC after 144 h of shaken culture, although 4.59 g/L of BC was produced after 144 h of static culture. The amount of BC produced by Gluconacetobacter sp. RKY5 was more than 2 times in the optimized medium found in this study than in a standard Hestrin and Shramm medium, which was generally used for the cultivation of BC-producing organisms.     

A new process for acetic acid production by direct oxidation of ethylene

A new process for acetic acid production by direct oxidation of ethylene which was established and commercialized is described. The catalyst system consisting of Pd and heteropoly acid exhibits excellent activity and selectivity. The addition of Se or Te to the catalyst system is effective to suppress the formation of carbon dioxide. This new process is applicable to a plant of a wide range of size corresponding to the local demand. Because this new process produces little waste water, it is very friendly to the environment.     

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulosic biomass to acetic acid

Astrain of Clostridium thermoaceticum (ATCC 49707) was evaluated for its homoacetate potential. This thermophilic anaerobe best produces acetate from glucose at pH 6.0 and 59°C with a yield of 83% of theoretical. Enzyme hydrolysis of two substrates, a-cellulose and a pulp mill sludge, yielded 68% and 70% digestion, respectively. The optimum conditions for the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) were substrate dependent: 55°C, pH 6.0 for α-cellulose, and 55°C, pH 5.5 for the pulp mill sludge. In the SSF with α-cellulose, the overall yield of acetate was strongly influenced by the enzyme loading. In a fed-batch operation of SSF with α-cellulose, an overall acetic acid yield of 60 wt% was obtained. Among the factors limiting the yields were incomplete digestion by the enzyme and the end-product inhibition. In the SSF of pulp mill sludge, inhibitors present in the sludge severely limited bacterial action. A large accumulation of glucose developed over the entire process, changing the intended SSF operation into a separate hydrolysis and fermentation operation. Despite a long lag phase of microbial growth, a terminal yield of 85% was obtained with this substrate.     

Effect of acetic acid and furfural on cellulase production of Trichoderma reesei RUT C30

Because of the high temperature applied in the steam pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials, different types of inhibiting degradation products of saccharides and lignin, such as acetic acid and furfural, are formed. The main objective of the present study was to examine the effect of acetic acid and furfural on the cellulase production of a filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei RUT C30, which is known to be one of the best cellulase-producing strains. Mandels’s mineral medium, supplemented with steam-pretreated willow as the carbon source at a concentration corresponding to 10 g/L of carbohydrate, was used. Four different concentration levels of acetic acid (0–3.0 g/L) and furfural (0–1.2 g/L) were applied alone as well as in certain combinations. Two enzyme activities, cellulase and β-glucosidase, were measured. The highest cellulase activity obtained after a 7-d incubation was 1.55 FPU/mL with 1.0 g/L of acetic acid and 0.8 g/L of furfural added to the medium. This was 17% higher than that obtained without acetic acid and furfural. Furthermore, the results showed that acetic acid alone did not influence the cellulase activity even at the highest concentration. However, β-glucosidase activity was increased with increasing acetic acid concentration. Furfural proved to be an inhibiting agent causing a significant decrease in both cellulase and β-glucosidase production.     

Development of xylose-fermenting yeasts for ethanol production at high acetic acid concentrations

Mutants resistant to comparatively high levels of acetic acid were isolated from the xylose-fermenting yeastsCandida shehatae andPichia stipitis by adapting these cultures to increasing concentrations of acetic acid grown in shake-flask cultures. These mutants were tested for their ability to ferment xylose in presence of high acetic acid concentrations, in acid hydrolysates of wood, and in hardwood spent sulfite liquor, and compared with their wild-type counterparts and between themselves. TheP. stipitis mutant exhibited faster fermentation times, better tolerance to acid hydrolysates, and tolerance to lower pH.     

Biooxidation of a synthetic waste by a microbial film grown on the liquid surface in a shallow flow reactor

A new process of biological waste treatment was developed by use of microbial films grown on the liquid surface in a shallow flow reactor. The performance of this process was tested using a synthetic waste that contained acetic acid as a model organic pollutant. About 90% of acetic acid (10,000 mg/L-1) in the synthetic waste was removed by setting alpha tau: (alpha specific liquid surface area, cm-1, and tau: hydraulic liquid detention time, h) higher than 15 cm-1/h. It was necessary to maintain alpha large enough (more than 10 cm-1 in most cases) to satisfy oxygen demand for the biooxidation. The oxygen balance and TOC determinations showed that the acetic acid removed was completely oxidized with oxygen transferred through the liquid surface. This process would contribute to energy savings, since it requires no forced aeration for oxygen supply.     

Synthesis of ethyl acetate by esterification of acetic acid with ethanol over a heteropolyacid on montmorillonite K10

In present work, liquid phase esterification of acetic acid with ethanol over dodecatungestophosphoric acid (DTPA) supported on K10 montmorillonite was systematically studied and optimization of process parameters was carried out. The 20% m/m DTPA/K10 was found to be the optimum catalyst with 90% acetic acid conversion and 100% ethyl acetate selectivity. The study was also explored to see the feasibility of 20% m/m DTPA/K10 as a catalyst for the alkylation of acetic acid with other alcohols like methanol, iso-propanol and n-butanol. The 20% m/m DTPA/K10 has shown increased activity with the increase in carbon number, at the same alcohol reflux. The results are novel.     

Fermentation of xylose into acetic acid by Clostridium thermoaceticum

For optimum fermentation, fermenting xylose into acetic acid by Clostridium thermoaceticum (ATCC 49707) requires adaptation of the strain to xylose medium. Exposed to a mixture of glucose and xylose, it preferentially consumesxylose over glucose. The initial concentration of xylose in the medium affects the final concentration and the yield of acetic acid. Batch fermentation of 20 g/L of xylose with 5g/L of yeast extract as the nitrogen source results in a maximum acetate concentration of 15.2 g/L and yield of 0.76 g of acid/g of xylose. Corn steep liquor (CLS) is a good substitute for yeast extract and results in similar fermentation profiles. The organism consumes fructose, xylose, and glucose from a mixture of sugars in batch fermentation. Arabinose, mannose, and galactose are consumed only slightly. This organism loses viability on fed-batch operation, even with supplementation of all the required nutrients. In fed-batch fermentation with CSL supplementation, d-xylulose (an intermediate in the xylose metabolic pathway) accumulates in large quantities.     

Bioconversion of fumarate to succinate using glycerol as a carbon source

In this study, a facultative bacterium that converts fumarate to succinate at a high yield was isolated. The yield of biocon version was enhanced about 1.2 times by addition of glucose into culture medium at an initial concentration of 6 g/L. When the initial cell density was high (2 g/L), the succinate produced at pH 7.0 for initial fumarate concentrations of 30, 50, 80, and 100 g/L were 29.3, 40.9, 63.6, and 82.5 g/L, respectively, showing an increase with the initial fumarate concentration. The high yield of 96.8%/mole of fumarate in just 4 h was obtained at the initial fumarate concentration of 30 g/L. Comparing these values to those obtained with low cell culture (0.2 g/L), we found that the amount of succinate produced was similar, but the production rate in the high cell culture was about three times higher than was the case in the low cell culture. This strain converted fumarate to succinate at a rate of 3.5 g/L·h under the sparge of CO₂.     

Hydrogen production by the thermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana

Virtually all members of the order Thermotogales have demonstrated the ability to produce hydrogen; however, some members of this order produce considerably greater quantities than others. With one representative of this order, Thermotoga neapolitana, we have consistently obtained accumulation of 25–30% hydrogen with 12–15% carbon dioxide as the only other prominent product in the batch reaction. In contradistinction to information widely disseminated in the literature, we have also found that most members of this order tolerate and appear to utilize the moderate amounts of oxygen present in the gaseous phase of batch reactors (6–12%), with no apparent decrease in hydrogen production. Hydrogen accumulation has been widely reported to inhibit growth of Thermotogales. While this may be true at very high hydrogen tensions, we have observed log phase bacterial morphology (rods) even in the presence of 25–35% hydrogen concentrations. To maximize hydrogen production and minimize production of hydrogen sulfide, inorganic sulfur donors are avoided and the cysteine concentration in the medium is increased. We and others have demonstrated that different members of the order Thermotogales utilize a wide variety of feedstocks, including complex carbohydrates and proteins. Thus, it appears that organisms within this order have the potential to utilize a variety of organic wastes and to cost-effectively generate hydrogen.     

A catalyst for the carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid in gaseous phase

A novel Rh/Ys catalyst for the carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid in gaseous phase is reported. The porous carbon beads (Ys) prepared from the carbonation of poly(vinylidene chloride) were used as the support. This catalyst has a specific surface area of 1 000 m2/g, high mechanical strength and thermal stability. The average diameter of the pore is in the range of 0.8 - 1.2nm. Experimental evidence showed that this catalyst was of high activity and selectivity, which could compare to those of the homogeneous catalyst from Monsanto. The catalytic rate could get to 900 g AcOH/g Rh·h during the carbonylation of methanol to acetic acid. The fine spreading of Ph over the Ys surface is the key factor for the activity.     

Oxidation of some catecholamines by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide in acid medium: A kinetic and mechanistic approach

The kinetics of the oxidation of five catecholamines viz., dopamine (A), L-dopa (B), methyldopa (C), epinephrine (D) and norepinephrine (E) by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide or chloramine-T (CAT) in presence of HClO₄ was studied at 30±0.1 °C. The five reactions followed identical kinetics with a first-order dependence on [CAT] _o , fractional-order in [substrate] _o , and inverse fractional-order in [H⁺]. Under comparable experimental conditions, the rate of oxidation of catecholamines increases in the order D>E>A>B>C. The variation of ionic strength of the medium and the addition of p-toluenesulfonamide or halide ions had no significant effect on the reaction rate. The rate increased with decreasing dielectric constant of the medium. The solvent isotope effect was studied using D₂O. A Michaelis-Menten type mechanism has been suggested to explain the results. Equilibrium and decomposition constants for CAT-catecholamine complexes have been evaluated. CH₃C₆H₄SO₂NHCl of the oxidant has been postulated as the reactive oxidizing species and oxidation products were identified. An isokinetic relationship is observed with β=361 K, indicating that enthalpy factors control the reaction rate. The mechanism proposed and the derived rate law are consistent with the observed kinetics.     

乙酸自热重整制氢用类水滑石衍生Zn-Ni-Al-Fe-O催化剂研究

采用共沉淀法制备了Zn_(2.4)Ni_(0.6)Al_xFe_(1-x)O_(4.5±δ)(x=1/0.5/0)系列类水滑石型镍基催化剂,用于乙酸自热重整制氢,并利用XRD、H_2-TPR、BET、XPS等表征手段对催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,Zn_(2.4)Ni_(0.6)Al_(0.5)Fe_(0.5)O_(4.5±δ)催化剂在乙酸自热重整中乙酸转化率维持在100%,氢气产率为2.39 mol-H_2/mol-HAc。Zn-Al水滑石前驱体经焙烧后形成了ZnO为骨架的复合氧化物,铁的适量添加增大了催化剂的比表面积,经还原后形成Fe NiZn合金,Fe以及Zn的给电子作用提高了Ni的抗氧化能力,催化剂的抗氧化烧结和抗积炭能力得到提高。     

Statistical optimization of conditions for protease production fromBacillus sp. and its scale-up in a bioreactor

A statistical approach, response surface methodology (RSM), was used to study the production of extracellular protease fromBacillus sp., which has properties of immense industrial importance. The most influential parameters for protease production obtained through the method of testing the parameters one at a time were starch, soybean meal, CaCl₂, agitation rate, and inoculum density. This method resulted in the production of 2543 U/mL of protease in 48 h fromBacillus sp. Based on these results, face-centered central composite design falling under RSM was employed to further enhance protease activity. The interactive effect of the most influential parameters resulted in a 1.50-fold increase in protease production, yielding 3746 U/mL in 48 h. Analysis of variance showed the adequacy of the model and verification experiments confirmed its validity. On subsequent scale-up in a 30-L bioreactor using conditions optimized through RSM, 3978 U/mL of protease was produced in 18 h. This clearly indicated that the model remained valid even on a large scale. RSM is a quick process for optimization of a large number of variables and provides profound insight into the interactive effect of various parameters involved in protease production.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of acetic acid inhibition of rec Zymomonas mobilis ZM4(pZB5)

The fermentation characteristics and effects of lignocelulosic toxic compounds on recombinant Zymomonas mobilis ZM4(pZB5), which is capable of converting both glucose and xylose to ethanol, and its parental strain, ZM4, were characterized using ¹³C and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in vivo. From the ³¹P NMR data, the levels of nucleoside triphosphates (NTP) of ZM(pZB5) using xylose were lower than those of glucose. This can be related to the intrinsically slower assimilation and/or metabolism of xylose compared to glucose and is evidence of a less energized state of ZM4(pZB5) cells during xylose fermentation. Acetic acid was shown to be strongly inhibitory to ZM4(pZB5) on xylose medium, with xylose utilization being completely inhibited at pH 5.0 or lower in the presence of 10.9 g/L of sodium acetate. From the ³¹P NMR results, the addition of sodium acetate caused decreased NTP and sugar phosphates, together with acidification of the cytoplasm. Intracellular deenergization and acidification appear to be the major mechanisms by which acetic acid exerts its toxic effects on this recombinant strain.     

Cassava flour wastewater as a substrate for biosurfactant production

Five cassava flour wastewater (manipueira) preparations were tested as culture media for biosurfactant production by a wild-type Bacillus sp. isolate. No-solids (F), no-solids diluted (F/2), natural (I), natural diluted (I/2), and decanted (IPS) were the tested manipueira media. The microorganism was able to grow and to produce biosurfactant on all manipueira preparations. The media whose solids were removed (F and F/2) showed better results than preparations with the presence of solids (I, I/2, and IPS). No-solids medium (F) showed a surface tension of 26,59 mN/m and reciprocal of critical micelle concentration of over 100 and was selected as a potential substrate for biosurfactant production.     

L-malic acid production by entrappedSaccharomyces cerevisiae into polyacrylamide gel beads

The yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae was entrapped within polyacrylamide gel beads by employing a procedure that uses sodium dodecylsulfate as a detergent to improve the spherical configuration of the beads. The resulting preparation showed a rate of fumarate bioconversion to L-malic acid about 60 times higher than that found for the free cells. Almost all fumarate was converted in 30 min of incubation. The thermal stability of the immobilized cells did not significantly differ from the free cells. An optimal pH of 5.7 was found for the immobilized preparation and no succinic acid was detected as a by-product in the incubation mixture.     

Industrial production of L-2-amino-4-phenylbutyric acid from 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid by paracoccus denitrificans containing aminotransferase activity

An industrial production method of L-2-amino-4-phenylbutyric acid from 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid by microbial cells containing aminotransferase activity was investigated. By usingParacoccus denitrificans pFPr-1, 0.19M L-2-amino-4-phenylbutyric acid was produced with a 95% conversion yield. Accumulated L-2-amino-4-phenylbutyric acid was readily isolated in pure form. Overall yield from 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid was 83.7%.