A Novel Approach to Microbe-Base Ethanol Production, GTL:and Related Biotechnologies

The development of commercially-viable, cellulosic ethanol biofuels technology has emerged as a national priority. However, the crystalline structure of cellulose constitutes a major barrier to the efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable polymers and sugars, with significant effects on conversion rates. This project will pair an organism, Clostridium phytofermentans, which has the unusual capacity to both degrade and ferment all fermentable components of biomass, with a pretreatment process that has a demonstrated ability to make fermentable components accessible. C. phytofermentans consolidates the separate hydrolysis and fermentation steps in a true consolidated bioprocessing system. The pretreatment process has shown particular promise as an economical and high-performance method of opening lignocellulosic materials to conversion into fermentable components. Phase I will address cellulose crystallinity in particular; early results with lime-treated sugarcane bagasse that has undergone de-crystallization indicate improved conversion by C.phytofermentans. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology is expected to provide an economical and high-performance method of converting lignocellulosic materials to fermentable components. Moreover, the novel microbial catalyst should efficiently convert all of the fermentable components of complex biomass substrates, with ethanol as the primary by-product.