Anaerobic Fermentation Of Glycerol Research Articles

Effects of substrate limitation on product distribution and H 2 /CO 2 ratio in Klebsiella pneumoniae during anaerobic fermentation of Glycerol

Effects of substrate limitation on product distribution and H 2 /CO 2 ratio in Klebsiella pneumoniae during anaerobic fermentation of Glycerol

Effects of substrate limitation on product distribution and H2/CO2 ratio inKlebsiella pneumoniae during anaerobic fermentation of glycerol

Product formation during anaerobic degradation of glycerol byKlebsiella pneumoniae DSM 2026, under glycerol limitation and glycerol excess in continugius cultures, has been investigated. Major and minor products and by-products as well as gaseous products were measured. The results indicated a positive correlation between specific glycerol uptake and most product formation rates under glycerol limitation. The production of 1,3-propanediol, lactate, formate, acetate, succinate and the by-products of anaerobic glycerol degradation byK. pneumoniae, acetoin and 2,3-butanediol, was favoured by glycerol excess, while hydrogen generation and ethanol formation were best under glycerol limitation. It was also found that under glycerol limitation the rate of hydrogen evolution was generally higher than the CO2 production rate while under excess glycerol the reverse was true. Hence, on the basis of the ratio of the specific rates of evolution of H2 and CO2 (qH2/qCO2), it is possible to infer the existence of glycerol limitation. On the basis of the carbon and available electron balances, which are independent of metabolic pathways, the data are consistent. The NADH2 balance, which took into consideration the pathways of product formation, was also tested to check the validity of the assumed pathways and to check critically the consistency of the data. Good balances were also obtained.[

Forthcoming events

Although biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol represent a secure, renewable and environmentally safe alternative to fossil fuels, their economic viability is a major concern. The implementation of biorefineries that co-produce higher value products along with biofuels has been proposed as a solution to this problem. The biorefinery model would be especially advantageous if the conversion of byproducts or waste streams generated during biofuel production were considered. Glycerol-rich streams generated in large amounts by the biofuels industry, especially during the production of biodiesel, present an excellent opportunity to establish biorefineries. Once considered a valuable ‘co-product’, crude glycerol is rapidly becoming a ‘waste product’ with a disposal cost attributed to it. Given the highly reduced nature of carbon in glycerol and the cost advantage of anaerobic processes, fermentative metabolism of glycerol is of special interest. This review covers the anaerobic fermentation of glycerol in microbes and the harnessing of this metabolic process to convert abundant and low-priced glycerol streams into higher value products, thus creating a path to viability for the biofuels industry. Special attention is given to products whose synthesis from glycerol would be advantageous when compared with their production from common sugars.

Products of Anaerobic Glycerol Fermentation by Streptococci faecalis

Products of Anaerobic Glycerol Fermentation by <i>Streptococci faecalis</i>