Exploitation of the extremely thermophilic Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus in hydrogen and biogas production from biomasses

• Published in: Environmental technology Vol. 31; no. 8-9; pp. 1017 - 1024
• Main Authors: Herbel, Zsófia, Rákhely, Gábor, Bagi, Zoltán, Ivanova, Galina, Ács, Norbert, Kovács, Etelka, Kovács, Kornel L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis Group 01.07.2010; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Biofuels; biogas; Biomass; Caldicellulosiruptor; Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus; cellulase; Cellulose - metabolism; Colony Count, Microbial; Degradation; energy plants; Enzymes; Exploitation; Fermentation; Glucose; Gram-Positive Bacteria - metabolism; hydrogen; Hydrogen - metabolism; Industrial Microbiology - methods; Monosaccharides; Sugars; British Isles
• ISSN: 0959-3330; 1479-487X
• DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2010.484075

Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus has attracted considerable attention by virtue of its ability to degrade various polysaccharide, oligosaccharide and monosaccharide substrates at temperatures above 70 °C, while its ability to convert various sugars to hydrogen has led to C. saccharolyticus being selected for the fermentative production of hydrogen. In this study, the utilization of a pure cellulosic substrate and mixed biomasses of plant origin was investigated. Cellulase biosynthesis can be triggered by growing cells on various monomeric carbohydrates, e.g. glucose or fructose. Pretreatment with cellulase-producing Bacilli improves the hydrogen yield, indicating that C. saccharolyticus alone can only partially decompose cellulosic substrates. The hydrogen-producing activity of C. saccharolyticus can be exploited in biogas technologies. With appropriate induction of the polymer-degrading enzymes, C. saccharolyticus may become a prime candidate with which to improve the yield and efficacy of practical hydrogen- and biogas-producing processes.