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Pilot-Scale Fermentation of Aqueous-Ammonia-Soaked Switchgrass

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Abstract

Aqueous-ammonia-steeped switchgrass was subject to simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) in two pilot-scale bioreactors (50- and 350-L working volume). Switchgrass was pretreated by soaking in ammonium hydroxide (30%) with solid to liquid ratio of 5 L ammonium hydroxide per kilogram dry switchgrass for 5 days in 75-L steeping vessels without agitation at ambient temperatures (15 to 33 °C). SSF of the pretreated biomass was carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (D5A) at approximately 2% glucan and 77 filter paper units per gram cellulose enzyme loading (Spezyme CP). The 50-L fermentation was carried out aseptically, whereas the 350-L fermentation was semiaseptic. The percentage of maximum theoretical ethanol yields achieved was 73% in the 50-L reactor and 52–74% in the 350-L reactor due to the difference in asepsis. The 350-L fermentation was contaminated by acid-producing bacteria (lactic and acetic acid concentrations approaching 10 g/L), and this resulted in lower ethanol production. Despite this problem, the pilot-scale SSF of aqueous-ammonia-pretreated switchgrass has shown promising results similar to laboratory-scale experiments. This work demonstrates challenges in pilot-scale fermentations with material handling, aseptic conditions, and bacterial contamination for cellulosic fermentations to biofuels.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded in part by the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa. This material is also based, in part, upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424700. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

The authors would like to thank Dr. Larry Johnson, Mark Reuber, Dr. Jay Harmon, Dr. Burns, Dr. Glanville, Chelsea Lamar, Ross Muhlbauer, Tim Shepherd, and the members of the Raman-Anex Lab Group for their help and support and Genencor for generously providing Spezyme CP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Asli Isci, Jennifer N. Himmelsbach, D. Raj Raman & Robert P. Anex

  2. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Center for Crops Utilization Research, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    John Strohl & Anthony L. Pometto III

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  1. Asli Isci
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  2. Jennifer N. Himmelsbach
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  5. D. Raj Raman
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  6. Robert P. Anex
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Correspondence to Asli Isci.

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Isci, A., Himmelsbach, J.N., Strohl, J. et al. Pilot-Scale Fermentation of Aqueous-Ammonia-Soaked Switchgrass. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 157, 453–462 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-008-8235-y

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