Consolidated Bioprocessing of Corn Stover to Ethanol Augmented by Spontaneous Particle Expansion Cotreatment

Terragia, a recently capitalized start-up, aims to develop consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) using engineered thermophilic bacteria to convert cellulosic biomass into fuels at low cost without added enzymes or thermochemical pretreatment. The proposed Phase I SBIR project is responsive to USDA Strategic Goals addressing rural economic development, aligned with the focus of the Biofuels and Bioproducts Topic Area on new manufacturing processes, and embodies the SBIR program's emphasis on potentially disruptive technology with a high degree of technical risk.This proposal builds on prior work led by the PD:• Thermophilic, anaerobic, cellulolytic bacteria exemplified by Clostridium thermocellum are decisively more effective at solubilizing the carbohydrate fraction of cellulosic biomass than commercial cellulase preparations. This invites the hypothesis that compared to conventional enzymatic hydrolysis, less severe conditions and perhaps different approaches may be sufficient to enable high carbohydrate solubilization via CBP.• A foundational patent was issued in 2020 (US Patent 10,533,194) on using mechanical disruption of cellulosic biomass during fermentation to enhance biologically mediated cellulosic biomass deconstruction, termed "cotreatment". In one embodiment, ball milling during fermentation enables near complete solubilization of the carbohydrate in several lignocellulosic feedstocks, providing strong evidence that mechanical disruption is sufficient to enable high CBP carbohydrate solubilization yields, and that enzymatic pretreatment or chemical reaction is not required.The proposed project involves testing Spontaneous Particle Expansion Cotreatment (SPEC), an innovative alternative to milling as a means to mechanically disrupt cellulosic biomass during fermentation in order to enhance biologically mediated deconstruction. This innovative, never-before-proposed approach has potential to realize the benefits of pretreatment without addition of enzymes, chemicals or energy.