Ethanol production from hardwood spent sulfite liquor using an adapted strain of Pichia stipitis

• Published in: Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 145 - 150
• Main Author: NIGAM, J. N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.03.2001; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adaptation; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Culture Media; Ethanol; Ethanol - metabolism; Fermentation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucose; hardwood spent sulfite liquor; Laboratories; Liquor; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Microbial engineering. Fermentation and microbial culture technology; Microbiology; Oxygen transfer; Pichia - growth & development; Pichia - metabolism; Pichia stipitis; Productivity; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - growth & development; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Studies; sulfite; Sulfite liquors; Sulfites - metabolism; Sulfur; Trace elements; Trees; Yeast; Yeasts; Fungi; Yeast; Ethanol; Pichia stipitis; Production; Microorganism culture; Ascomycetes; Hardwood; Pretreatment; Thallophyta; Sulfite spent liquor
• ISSN: 1367-5435; 1476-5535
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.jim.7000098

Conditions have been optimized for fermentation of pretreated hardwood spent sulfite liquor (HSSL) using an adapted strain of Pichia stipitis. The pretreatments, consisting of boiling and overliming with Ca(OH)2 of HSSL, to partially remove inhibitors, and adaptation of the yeast strain to HSSL, were both critical for a successful fermentation. Ethanol concentration was increased from 6.7 to 20.2 g l(-1) using adapted P. stipitis (A) and pretreated HSSL. The maximum ethanol yield (Yp/s) and productivity (Qp) were 0.41 g g(-1) and 0.44 g l(-1) h(-1), respectively, at an oxygen transfer rate of 2.0 mmol O2 l(-1) h(-1). The optimized results with this strain were compared to those of other xylose-fermenting yeasts and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SSL-acclimatized) currently used at an industrial plant for the fermentation of spent sulfite liquor.