Trends in biotechnological production of fuel ethanol from different feedstocks.

An overview of the different inhibitors formed by pre-treatment of lignocellulosic materials and their inhibition of ethanol production in yeast and bacteria is given. Different high temperature physical pre-treatment methods are available to render the carbohydrates in lignocellulose accessible for ethanol fermentation. The resulting hydrolyzsates contain substances inhibitory to fermentation—depending on both the raw material (biomass) and the pre-treatment applied. An overview of the inhibitory effect on ethanol production by yeast and bacteria is presented. Apart from furans formed by sugar degradation, phenol monomers from lignin degradation are important co-factors in hydrolysate inhibition, and inhibitory effects of these aromatic compounds on different ethanol producing microorganisms is reviewed. The furans and phenols generally inhibited growth and ethanol production rate (QEtOH) but not the ethanol yields (YEtOH) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Within the same phenol functional group (aldehyde, ketone, and acid) the inhibition of volumetric ethanol productivity was found to depend on the amount of methoxyl substituents and hence hydrophobicity (log P). Many pentose-utilizing strains Escherichia coli, Pichia stipititis, and Zymomonas mobilis produce ethanol in concentrated hemicellulose liquors but detoxification by overliming is needed. Thermoanaerobacter mathranii A3M3 can grow on pentoses and produce ethanol in hydrolysate without any need for detoxification.

Inhibition of ethanol-producing yeast and bacteria by degradation products produced during pre-treatment of biomass.

Trends in bioconversion of lignocellulose: Biofuels, platform chemicals & biorefinery concept

This article reviews developments in the technology for ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials by “enzymatic” processes. Several methods of pretreatment of lignocelluloses are discussed, where the crystalline structure of lignocelluloses is opened up, making them more accessible to the cellulase enzymes. The characteristics of these enzymes and important factors in enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose and hemicellulose to cellobiose, glucose, and other sugars are discussed. Different strategies are then described for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, including separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), non-isothermal simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (NSSF), simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF), and consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). Furthermore, the by-products in ethanol from lignocellulosic materials, wastewater treatment, commercial status, and energy production and integration are reviewed.

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Acid-based hydrolysis processes for ethanol from lignocellulosic materials: a review.

Fuel ethanol production: process design trends and integration opportunities.

A technical evaluation of stillage characterization, treatment, and by-product recovery in the ethanol industry was performed through a review of the scientific literature, with particular emphasis on solutions pertinent to a cellulosic-based ethanol production system. This effort has generated substantial information supporting the viability of anaerobic digestion for stillage treatment followed by land application on biomass crops for nutrient recovery. Generally, the characteristics of stillage from cellulosic materials appear comparable to those of conventional sugar- and starch-based feedstocks. However, the data on cellulosic stillage characteristics and treatment parameters are extremely limited and highly variable. This has significant impacts on the capital costs and biogas recovery of anaerobic treatment systems predicted from these data. In addition, technical questions remain unanswered with regard to stillage toxicity from untested feedstocks and the impact of heavy metal leaching when acid hydrolysis reactors are fabricated from corrosion-resistant alloys. Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of ethanol stillage achieves similar treatment efficiencies and methane yields compared to mesophilic treatment, but at almost twice the organic loading rate. Therefore, application of thermophilic anaerobic digestion would improve process economics, since smaller digesters and less stillage cooling are required. Downstream processes for stillage utilization and by-product recovery considered worthy of continued investigation include the production of feed (from single cell protein and/or algae production), color removal, and production of calcium magnesium acetate. This study finds that sustainable and economically viable solutions are available for mitigating the environmental impacts which result from large-scale biomass-to-ethanol conversion facilities. However, further research in some areas is needed to facilitate successful implementation of appropriate technology options.

Stillage characterization and anaerobic treatment of ethanol stillage from conventional and cellulosic feedstocks

We compared trimercapto-s-triazine (TMT) to ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) for detoxification of five selected heavy metals as part of an effluent fractionation procedure. Toxicity was assessed using a microbial microplate assay, based on the MetPAD™ test kit. The affinity of TMT to four of the metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb) was on the same order of magnitude as EDTA, as indicated by minimum mole ratios of ligand to metal required for detoxification. The TMT was ineffective against Zn. Both TMT and EDTA were toxic (causing more than 30% inhibition) to the test bacterial enzyme at concentrations of 3,000 μM or greater. The range of TMT concentrations that detoxified the metals was broader than that of EDTA. Stimulation of enzyme activity by EDTA could complicate interpretation of test data, a problem not shared by TMT.

Kelly J Riedesel

Papers

Stillage characterization and anaerobic treatment of ethanol stillage from conventional and cellulosic feedstocks

Heavy metal detoxification by trimercapto-s-triazine (TMT) as evaluated by a bacterial enzyme assay