Gasification and synthesis gas fermentation: an alternative route to biofuel production

• Stephanopoulos G. Challenges in engineering microbes for biofuels production. Science315,801–804 (2007).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lund H. Renewable energy strategies for sustainable development. Energy32,912–919 (2007).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McKendry P. Energy production from biomass (part 3): gasification technologies. Bioresour. Technol.83,55–63 (2002).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bridgwater AV. The technical and economic feasibility of biomass gasification for power generation. Fuel74(5),631–653 (1995).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Demirbas A. Progress and recent trends in biofuels. Prog. Energ. Combust.33,1–18 (2007).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sun Y, Cheng J. Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials for ethanol production: a review. Bioresour. Technol.83,1–11 (2002).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Huber GW, Iborra S, Corma A. Synthesis of transportation fuels from biomass: chemistry, catalysts, and engineering. Chem. Rev.106(9),4044–4098 (2006).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wei L, Pordesimo LO, Igathinathane C, Batchelor WD. Process engineering evaluation of ethanol production from wood through bioprocessing and chemical catalysis. Biomass Bioenerg.33,255–266 (2009).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hayes DJ. An examination of biorefining processes, catalysts and challenges. Catal. Today145,138–151 (2009).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lin Y, Tanaka S. Ethanol fermentation from biomass resources: current state and prospects. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.69,627–642 (2006).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jeffries T, Jin YS. Metabolic engineering for improved fermentation of pentoses by yeasts. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.63,495–509 (2004).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Henstra AM, Sipma J, Rinzema A, Stams AJM. Microbiology of synthesis gas fermentation for biofuel production. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol.18,200–206 (2007).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Evans RJ, Milne TA. Molecular characterization of the pyrolysis of biomass. Energ. Fuels1,123–137 (1987).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Babu SP. Observations on the current status of biomass gasification. Biomass Bioenerg.29(4),1–12 (2005).
   Google Scholar
• Munasinghe PC, Khanal SK. Biomass-derived syngas fermentation into biofuels: opportunities and challenges. Bioresour. Technol.101,5013–5022 (2010).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kuo KK. Principles of Combustion (2nd Edition). John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA 9 (2005).
   Google Scholar
• Reed TB, Das A. Handbook of Biomass Downdraft Gasifier Engine Systems. Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, CO, USA 1–140 (1988).
   Google Scholar
• Kaupp A, Goss JR. Small Scale Gas Producer Engine Systems. Deutsches Zentrum fur Entwicklungstechnologien, Vieweg, Wiesbaden, Germany (1984).
   Google Scholar
• Turare C. Biomass Gasification Technology and Utilization. ARTES Institute, University of Flensburg, Glucksburg, Germany (1997).
   Google Scholar
• Bhattacharya S, Hla SS, Pham HL. A study on a multi-stage hybrid gasifier-engine system. Biomass Bioenerg.21,445–460 (2001).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tomishige K, Asadullah M, Kunimori K. Syngas production by biomass gasification using Rh/CeO2/SiO2 catalysts and fluidized bed reactor. Catal. Today89,389–403 (2004).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ezeji TC, Qureshi N, Blaschek HP. Bioproduction of butanol from biomass: from genes to bioreactors. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol.18,220–227 (2007).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Drake HL, Gößner AS, Daniel SL. Old acetogens, new light. Ann. NY Acad. Sci.1125,100–128 (2008).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Pierce E, Xie G, Barabote RD et al. The complete genome sequence of Moorella thermoacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum). Environ. Microbiol.10(10),2550–2573 (2008).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Abrini J, Naveau H, Nyns EJ. Clostridium autoethanogenum, sp. nov., an anaerobic bacterium that produces ethanol from carbon monoxide. Arch. Microbiol.161,345–351 (1994).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tanner RS, Miller LM, Yang D. Clostridium ljungdahlii sp. nov., an acetogenic species in clostridial rRNA homology group I. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol.43(2),232–236 (1993).
   Google Scholar
• Köpke M, Held C, Hujer S et al. Clostridium ljungdahlii represents a microbial production platform based on syngas. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci.107(29),13087–13092 (2010).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Vega JJ, Prieto S, Elmore BB, Clausen EC, Gaddy JL. The biological production of ethanol from synthesis gas. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol.20/21,781–797 (1989).
   Google Scholar
• Vega JL, Clausen EC, Gaddy JL. Design of bioreactors for coal synthesis gas fermentations. Resour. Conserv. Recycling3,149–160 (1990).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ragsdale SW. Enzymology of the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway of acetogenesis. Ann. NY Acad. Sci.1125,129–136 (2008).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ragsdale SW, Pierce E. Acetogenesis and the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway of CO2 fixation. Biochim. Biophys. Acta1784,1873–1898 (2008).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ragsdale SW. The eastern and western branches of the Wood/Ljungdahl pathway: how the east and west were won. Biofactors6,3–11 (1997).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Drake H, Hu S, Wood H. Purification of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, a nickel enzyme from Clostridium thermocaceticum. J. Biol. Chem.255(15),7174–7180 (1980).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Müller V, Imkamp F, Rauwolf A, Küsel K, Drake HL. Molecular and cellular biology of acetogenic bacteria. In: Strict and Facultative Anaerobes: Medical and Environmental Aspects. Nakano MM, Zuber P (Eds). Horizon Bioscience, Norfolk, UK 251–281 (2004).
   Google Scholar
• Hsu T, Daniel SL, Lux MF, Drake HL. Biotransformations of carboxylated aromatic compounds by the acetogen Clostridium thermoaceticum: generation of growth-supportive CO2 equivalents under CO2-limited conditions. J. Bacteriol.172(1),212–217 (1990).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Savage MD, Wu ZG, Daniel SL, Lundie Jr LL, Drake HL. Carbon monoxide-dependent chemolithotrophic growth of Clostridium thermoautotrophicum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.53(8),1902–1906 (1987).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Baronofsky JJ, Schreurs WJA, Kashket ER. Uncoupling by acetic acid limits growth of and acetogenesis by Clostridium thermoaceticum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.48(6),1134–1139 (1984).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Ragsdale SW. Nickel and the carbon cycle. J. Inorg. Biochem.101,1657–1666 (2007).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Menon S. Ragsdale SW. Evidence that carbon monoxide is an obligatory intermediate in anaerobic acetyl-CoA synthesis. Biochemistry35(37),12119–12125 (1996).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Furdui C, Ragsdale SW. The role of pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase in pyruvate synthesis during autotrophic growth by the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. J. Biol. Chem.275,28494–28499 (2000).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Ragsdale SW. Pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase and its radical intermediate. Chem. Rev.103,2333–2346 (2003).
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Klasson KT, Ackerson MD, Clausen EC, Gaddy JL. Bioconversion of synthesis gas into liquid or gaseous fuels. Enzyme Microb. Technol.14,602–608 (1992).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cotter JL, Chinn MS, Grunden AM. Ethanol and acetate production by Clostridium ljungdahlii and Clostridium autoethanogenum using resting cells. Bioprocess Biosyst. Eng.32,369–380 (2009).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ramachandriya KD, DeLorme MJ, Wilkins MR. Heat shocking of Clostridium strain P11 to promote sporulation and ethanol production. Biol. Eng.2(2),115–131 (2010).
   Google Scholar
• Kundiyana DK, Huhnke RL, Maddipati P, Atiyeh HK, Wilkins MR. Feasibility of incorporating cotton seed extract in Clostridium strain P11 fermentation medium during synthesis gas fermentation. Bioresour. Technol.101,9673–9680 (2010).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cotter JL, Chinn MS, Grunden AM. Influence of process parameters on growth of Clostridium ljungdahlii and Clostridium autoethanogenum on synthesis gas. Enzyme Microb. Technol.44,281–288 (2009).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Heiskanen H, Virkajärvi I, Viikari L. The effect of syngas composition on the growth and product formation of Butyribacterium methylotrophicum. Enzyme Microb. Technol.41,362–367 (2007).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hu P, Jacobsen LT, Horton JG, Lewis RS. Sulfide assessment in bioreactors with gas replacement. Biochem. Eng. J.49,429–434 (2010).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Frankman AW. Redox, pressure and mass transfer effects on syngas fermentation. MS thesis. Brigham Young University, UT, USA (2009).
   Google Scholar
• Phillips JR, Klasson KT, Clausen EC, Gaddy JL. Biological production of ethanol from coal synthesis gas: medium development studies. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol.39/40, 559–571 (1993).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Guo Y, Xu J, Zhang Y, Xu H, Yuan Z, Li D. Medium optimization for ethanol production with Clostridium autoethanogenum with carbon monoxide as sole carbon source. Bioresour. Technol.101,8784–8789 (2010).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rajagopalan S, Datar, RP, Lewis RS. Formation of ethanol from carbon monoxide via a new microbial catalyst. Biomass Bioenerg.23,487–493 (2002).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Younesi H, Najafpour G, Mohamed AR. Ethanol and acetate production from synthesis gas via fermentation processes using anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium ljungdahlii. Biochem. Eng. J.27,110–119 (2005).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Najafpour G, Younesi H. Ethanol and acetate synthesis from waste gas using batch culture of Clostridium ljungdahlii. Enzyme Microb. Technol.38,223–228 (2006).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lorowitz WH, Bryant MP. Peptostreptococcus productus strain that grows rapidly with CO as the energy source. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.47(5),961–964 (1984).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hurst KM, Lewis RS. Carbon monoxide partial pressure effects on the metabolic process of syngas fermentation. Biochem. Eng. J.48,159–165 (2010).
   Google Scholar
• Datar RP, Shenkman RM, Cateni BG, Huhnke RL, Lewis RS. Fermentation of biomass-generated producer gas to ethanol. Biotechnol. Bioeng.86(5),587–594 (2004).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ahmed A, Cateni BG, Huhnke RL, Lewis RS. Effects of biomass-generated producer gas constituents on cell growth, product distribution and hydrogenase activity of Clostridium carboxidivorans P7T. Biomass Bioenerg.30,665–672 (2006).
   Google Scholar
• Ahmed A, Lewis RS. Fermentation of biomass-generated synthesis gas: effects of nitric oxide. Biotechnol. Bioeng.97(5),1080–1086 (2007).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kadic E. Survey of gas–liquid mass transfer in bioreactors. MS Thesis. Iowa State Univeristy, IA, USA (2010).
   Google Scholar
• Younesi H, Najafpour G, Mohamed AR. Liquid fuel production from synthesis gas via fermentation process in a continuous tank bioreactor (CSTBR) using Clostridium ljungdahlii. Iranian J. Biotechnol.4(1),45–53 (2006).
   Google Scholar
• Charpentier JC. Mass-transfer rates in gas–liquid absorbers and reactors. Adv. Chem. Eng.11,1–133 (1981).
   Google Scholar
• White A, Ahmed A, Hu P et al. (2007). Fermentation of syngas to ethanol without media replacement. Presented at: 29th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. Denver, CO, USA, 29 April–2 May 2007.
   Google Scholar
• Kundiyana DK, Huhnke RL, Wilkins MR. Syngas fermentation in a 100-l pilot scale fermentor: design and process considerations. J. Biosci. Bioeng.109(5),492–498 (2010).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Pinatti DG, Conte RA, Soares ÁG et al. Biomass refinery as a renewable romplement to the petroleum refinery. Int. J. Chem. Reactor Eng.8,1–16 (2010).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yang P, Columbus E, Wooten J et al. Evaluation of syngas storage under different pressures and temperatures. Appl. Eng. Agric.25(1),121–128 (2009).
   Google Scholar
• Reed T. Biomass Gasification: Principles and Technologies. Energy Technology Review No. 67. Noyes Data Corp, Park Ridge, NJ, USA (1981).
   Google Scholar
• Lahijani P, Zainal ZA. Gasification of palm empty fruit bunch in a bubbling fluidized bed: a performance and agglomeration study. Bioresour. Technol.102,2068–2076 (2011).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Liou JSC, Balkwill DL, Drake GR, Tanner RS. Clostridium carboxidivorans sp. nov., a solvent-producing clostridium isolated from an agricultural settling lagoon, and reclassification of the acetogen Clostridium scatologenes strain SL1 as Clostridium drakei sp. nov. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol.55,2085–2091 (2005).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sakai S, Nakashimada Y, Yoshimoto H, Watanabe S, Okada H, Nishio N. Ethanol production from H2 and CO2 by a newly isolated thermophilic bacterium, Moorella sp. HUC22–1. Biotechnol. Lett.26,1607–1612 (2004).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sakai S, Nakashimada Y, Inokuma K, Kita M, Okada H, Nishio N. Acetate and ethanol production from H2 and CO2 by Moorella sp. using a repeated batch culture. J. Biosci. Bioeng.99,252–258 (2005).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zeikus J, Lynd LH, Thompson T, Krzycki J, Weimer P, Hegge P. Isolation and characterization of a new, methylotrophic, acidogenic anaerobe, the Marburg strain. Curr. Microbiol.3,381–386 (1980).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Younesi H, Najafpour G, Ku Ismail KS, Mohamed AR, Kamaruddin AH. Biohydrogen production in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor from synthesis gas by anaerobic photosynthetic bacterium: Rhodopirillum rubrum. Bioresour. Technol.99,2612–2619 (2008).
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

▪ Patents

• Hickey R, Basu R, Datta R, Tsai SP: US0047886A1 (2010).
   Google Scholar
• Lanzatech New Zealand Limited: US0203100A1 (2009).
   Google Scholar

▪ Websites

• International Energy Agency. Energy statistics – renewables for United States. www.iea.org/stats/renewdata.asp?COUNTRY_CODE=US
   Google Scholar
• International Energy Agency. Energy statistics – oil for United States. www.iea.org/stats/oildata.asp?COUNTRY_CODE=US
   Google Scholar
• Coskata, Inc. Semi-commercial facility. www.coskata.com/facilities/index.asp?source=568A3D3C-AACF-4D95-B297–7264DD2C17B5
   Google Scholar
• INEOS Bio. Technology Platform. www.ineosbio.com/60-Technology_platform.htm
   Google Scholar
• Green Car Congress. INEOS Bio to Commercialize BRI Thermochemical/Biochemical Waste-to-Ethanol Process. www.greencarcongress.com/2008/07/ineos-bio-to-co.html
   Google Scholar
• Layden L. Alico won’t build Southwest Florida ethanol plant. www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jun/03/alico-wont-build-southwest-florida-ethanol-plant
   Google Scholar
• INEOS Bio. INEOS Bio JV breaks ground on 1st advanced waste-to-fuel commercial biorefinery in US. www.ineosbio.com/76-Press_releases-15.htm
   Google Scholar
• LanzaTech. Construction begins on steel mill off-gases to ethanol demo plant. www.lanzatech.co.nz/sites/default/files/imce_uploads/lanzatech_demo_plant.pdf
   Google Scholar
• LanzaTech. The LanzaTech Process. www.lanzatech.co.nz/content/lanzatech-process
   Google Scholar