Abstract
The fermentation of spent sulphite liquor (SSL) from the pulping of hardwoods is limited by the combination of xylose, the primary fermentable sugar and high concentrations of microbial inhibitors that decrease the yeast fermentation ability. The inhibitor resistance phenotypes of xylose-capable Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were therefore enhanced by combining rational engineering for multi-inhibitor tolerance, with adaptation in concentrated hardwood SSL as selective pressure. The adapted strains were assessed in fermentations with 60–80% v/v concentrated SSL under industrially relevant fermentation conditions. During adaptation, strains produced ethanol concentrations between 11.0 and 15.4 g/L in the range of that reported in literature. The adapted TFA40 and TP50 strains displayed enhanced inhibitor resistance phenotypes and were able to ferment xylose-rich SSL at pH below 5, exhibiting improved ethanol yields relative to the reference strain. Using yeast extract and peptone as nitrogen source in concentrated SSL fermentations further improved ethanol yields. However, strains exhibited a trade-off between resistance and ethanol productivity, indicating a carbon/energy cost for the expression of this inhibitor tolerance phenotype.
Key points
• Achieved fermentation of xylose-rich hardwood spent sulphite liquor at pH below 5.0
• Adaptation of xylose-capable S. cerevisiae in concentrated spent sulphite liquor
• Adapted strains exhibited enhanced inhibitor resistance phenotypes.
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This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) for financial support to the Chair of Energy Research: Biofuels and other clean alternative fuels (NRF Grant 86423).
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BAB: conceptualisation; methodology — design of experiments; investigation, formal analysis, data curation; writing — original draft. MDPGA: methodology — design of experiments, data curation, writing — review and editing. JFG: supervision; writing — review and editing. WHVZ: supervision; writing — review and editing. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Brandt, B.A., García-Aparicio, M.P., Görgens, J.F. et al. Adaptation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a concentrated spent sulphite liquor waste stream for increased inhibitor resistance. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 106, 455–468 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11710-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11710-3