Skip to main content
Log in

Effect of pH and butyrate concentration on the production of acetone and butanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum grown in continuous culture

  • Industrial Microbiology
  • Published:
European journal of applied microbiology and biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

When Clostridium acetobutylicum was grown in continuous culture under glucose limitation at neutral pH and varying dilution rates the only fermentation products formed were acetate, butyrate, carbon dioxide and molecular hydrogen. The Y maxglucose and (Y maxATP ) expgluc values were 48.3 and 23.8 dry weight/mol, respectively. Acetone and butanol were produced when the pH was decreased below 5.0 (optimum at pH 4.3). The addition of butyric acid (20 to 80 mM) to the medium with a pH of 4.3 resulted in a shift of the fermentation from acid, to solvent formation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beesch SC (1953) A microbiological process report: acetone-butanol fermentation of starches. Appl Microbiol 1:85–95

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies R, Stephenson M (1941) Studies on the acetone-butylalcohol fermentation: 1. Nutritional and other factors involved in the preparation of active suspensions of Clostridium acetobutylicum (Weizmann). Biochem J 35:1320–1331

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyr J, Protiva J, Praus R (1958) Formation of neutral solvents in continuous fermentation by means of Clostridium acetobutylicum. In: Malek J (ed), Continuous cultivation of microorganisms A symposium. Publishing house of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague, pp 210–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Gavard R, Hautecoer B, Descourtieux H (1957) Phosphotransbu-tyrylase in Clostridium acetobutylicum. CRH Acad Sci 244: 2323–2326

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottschal JC, Morris JG (1981) Non-production of acetone and butanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum during glucose-and ammonium-limitation in continuous culture. Biotech Lett 3:525–530

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottschalk G, Bahl H (1981) Feasible improvements of the butanol production by Clostridium acetobutylicum. In: Holländer A (ed) Trends in the biology of fermentations for fuels and chemicals (Basic life sciences 18). Plenum Press, New York, pp 463–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutzenok A, Aschner M (1952) Degenerative processes in a strain of Clostridium butylicum. J Bacteriol 64:829–836

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirt SJ (1965) The maintenance energy of bacteria in growing cultures. Proc Roy Soc B 163:224–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross D (1961) The acetone-butanol fermentation. Prog Indust Microbiol 3:73–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Schödler K (1958) Die Vergärung von Rüben- und Rohr-Melasse zu Butanol-Aceton. Zucker 17:399–402

    Google Scholar 

  • Spivey MJ (1978) The acetone/butanol/ethanol fermentation. Proc Biochem 13:2–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Stouthamer AH (1969) Determination and significance of molar growth yields. In: Norris JR, Ribbons DW (eds) Methods in microbiology, vol 1. Academic Press, London New York, pp 629–663

    Google Scholar 

  • Thimann KV (1964) Das Leben der Bakterien, 1st edn. VEB Gustav Fischer, Jena

    Google Scholar 

  • Twarog R, Wolfe RS (1962) Enzymatic phosphorylation of phosphotransbutyrylase. J Biol Chem 237:2474–2481

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine RC, Wolfe RS (1960) Purification and role of phosphotransbutyrylase. J Biol Chem 235:1948–1952

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bahl, H., Andersch, W., Braun, K. et al. Effect of pH and butyrate concentration on the production of acetone and butanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum grown in continuous culture. European J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 14, 17–20 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00507998

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00507998

Keywords

Navigation