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Butanol production by Clostridium acetobutylicum in a continuous packed bed reactor

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

In this study, we report on a butanol production process by immobilized Clostridium acetobutylicum in a continuous packed bed reactor (PBR) using Tygon® rings as a carrier. The medium was a solution of lactose (15–30 g/L) and yeast extract (3 g/L) to emulate the cheese whey, an abundant lactose-rich wastewater. The reactor was operated under controlled conditions with respect to the pH and to the dilution rate. The pH and the dilution rate ranged between 4 and 5, the dilution rate between 0.54 and 2.4 h−1 (2.5 times the maximum specific growth rate assessed for suspended cells). The optimal performance of the reactor was recorded at a dilution rate of 0.97 h−1: the butanol productivity was 4.4 g/Lh and the selectivity of solvent in butanol was 88%w.

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Abbreviations

AA, Ac, B, BA, Et, L:

Concentration of acetic acid, acetone, butanol, butyric acid, ethanol, and lactose (g/L)

D :

Dilution rate, 1/h

q :

Productivity (g/L h)

R :

Butanol acetone ratio (g/g)

X :

Suspended biomass (gDM/L)

Y A/L :

Lactose to acids fractional yield (g/g)

Y S/L :

Lactose to solvents fractional yield (g/g)

Et:

Ethanol

Ac:

Acetone

B:

Butanol

IN:

Feeding stream

OUT:

Effluent stream

δ:

Accuracy on carbon balance at steady state (g/g)

Φ:

Butanol selectivity with respect to solvents (g/g)

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Mrs. Sabrina Manzi for her assistance in experimental investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, P.le V. Tecchio n. 80, 80125, Naples, Italy

    Fabio Napoli, Giuseppe Olivieri, Maria Elena Russo, Antonio Marzocchella & Piero Salatino

  2. Chemical Engineering Department, School of Biotechnological Sciences, P.le V. Tecchio, n. 80, 80125, Naples, Italy

    Antonio Marzocchella

Authors
  1. Fabio Napoli
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  2. Giuseppe Olivieri
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  3. Maria Elena Russo
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  4. Antonio Marzocchella
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  5. Piero Salatino
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio Marzocchella.

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Napoli, F., Olivieri, G., Russo, M.E. et al. Butanol production by Clostridium acetobutylicum in a continuous packed bed reactor. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 37, 603–608 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-010-0707-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-010-0707-8

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