Continuous Production of Butanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum Immobilized in a Fibrous Bed Bioreactor

摘要

We explored the influence of dilution rate and pH in continuous cultures of Clostridium acetobutylicum.A 200-mL fibrous bed bioreactor was used to produce high cell density and butyrate concentrations at pH 5.4 and 35 deg C.By feeding glucose and butyrate as a cosubstrate,the fermentation was maintained in the solventogenesis phase,and the optimal butanol productivity of 4.6 g/(L h) and a yield of 0.42 g/g were obtained at a dilution rate of 0.9 h~(-1) and pH 4.3.Compared to the conventional acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation,the new fermentation process greatly improved butanol yield,making butanol production from corn an attractive alternative to ethanol fermentation.