Ethanol from biomass: the potential use of thermophilic organisms in fermentation

• Published in: Australasian biotechnology Vol. 7; no. 5
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia AusBiotech 1997
• ISSN: 1036-7128

Australasian Biotechnology, Volume 7 Number 4, September/October 1997, pp.296-299 Ethanol from biomass: the potential use of thermophilic organisms in fermentation R.K. Scopes, Code Number: AU97038 Size of Files: Text: 15K Graphics: Line drawings (gif) - 7.3K The production of ethanol from waste biomass presents many problems, which are being tackled world-wide. Some strains of anaerobic thermophilic bacteria are efficient at fermenting biomass carbohydrates to ethanol, but not in circumstances that could be economical. Modification of their metabolism to maximise ethanol productivity in high temperature fermentations is being attempted, a process that requires both novel transformation systems for thermophiles, and the alteration of enzyme structures to survive higher temperatures. Using cell-free systems, it can be demonstrated that high temperature ethanol production can be stimulated by inclusion of pyruvate decarboxylase, an enzyme not otherwise known to be present in thermophiles. Copyright 1997 Australian Biotechnology Association Ltd.