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Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose in ionic liquid for efficient production of α-ketoglutaric acid by Yarrowia lipolytica

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Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) are benign solvents that are highly effective for biomass pretreatment. However, their applications for scale-up biorefinery are limited due to multiple expensive IL recovery and separation steps that are required. To overcome this limitation, it is very critical to develop a compatible enzymatic and microbial biocatalyst system to carry the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation in IL environments (SSF-IL). While enzymatic biocatalysts have been demonstrated to be compatible with various IL environments, it is challenging to develop microbial biocatalysts that can thrive and perform efficient biotransformation under the same conditions (pH and temperature). In this study, we harnessed the robust metabolism of Yarrowia lipolytica as a microbial platform highly compatible with the IL environments such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM][OAc]). We optimized the enzymatic and microbial biocatalyst system using commercial cellulases and demonstrated the capability of Y. lipolytica to convert cellulose into high-value organics such as α-ketoglutaric acid (KGA) in the SSF-IL process at relatively low temperature 28 °C and high pH 6.3. We showed that SSF-IL not only enhanced the enzymatic saccharification but also produced KGA up to 92 % of the maximum theoretical yield.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Institute of a Secure and Sustainable Environment/ Sustainable Energy and Education Research Center (CTT and NL), the laboratory start-up fund (CTT) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the National Science Foundation, NSF-CBET# 1360867 (CTT).

Conflict of interest

The authors claim no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    Seunghyun Ryu & Cong T. Trinh

  2. Center of Renewable Carbon, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    Nicole Labbé

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  1. Seunghyun Ryu
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  2. Nicole Labbé
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Correspondence to Cong T. Trinh.

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Ryu, S., Labbé, N. & Trinh, C.T. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose in ionic liquid for efficient production of α-ketoglutaric acid by Yarrowia lipolytica . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 4237–4244 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6521-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6521-5

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