Effect of n‑Caproate Concentration on Chain Elongation and Competing Processes

• Published in: ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering Vol. 6; no. 6; pp. 7499 - 7506
• Main Authors: Roghair, Mark, Liu, Yuchen, Adiatma, Julius C, Weusthuis, Ruud A, Bruins, Marieke E, Buisman, Cees J. N, Strik, David P. B. T. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 04.06.2018
• Subjects: Adapted sludge; Chain elongation; Competing processes; Inhibition; n-Caproate; Competing processes; Chain elongation; n-Caproate; Adapted sludge; Inhibition
• ISSN: 2168-0485; 2168-0485
• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00200

Chain elongation is an open-culture fermentation process that facilitates conversion of organic residues with an additional electron donor, such as ethanol, into valuable n-caproate. Open-culture processes are catalyzed by an undefined consortium of microorganisms which typically also bring undesired (competing) processes. Inhibition of competing processes, such as syntrophic ethanol oxidation, will lead to a more selective n-caproate production process. In this study, we investigated the effect of n-caproate concentration on the specific activity of chain elongation and competing processes using batch inhibition assays. With “synthetic medium sludge” (originally operating at 3.4 g/L n-caproate), syntrophic ethanol oxidation was proportionally inhibited by n-caproate until 45% inhibition at 20 g/L n-caproate. Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was for 58% inhibited at 20 g/L n-caproate. Chain elongation of volatile fatty acids (volatile fatty acid upgrading; the desired process), was completely inhibited at 20 g/L n-caproate with all tested sludge types. “Adapted sludge” (operating at 23.2 g/L n-caproate) showed a 10 times higher volatile fatty acid upgrading activity at 15 g/L n-caproate compared to “nonadapted sludge” (operating at 7.1 g/L n-caproate). This shows that open cultures do adapt to perform chain elongation at high n-caproate concentrations which likely inhibits syntrophic ethanol oxidation through hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. As such, we provide supporting evidence that the formation of n-caproate inhibits syntrophic ethanol oxidation which leads to a more selective medium chain fatty acid production process.