skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: CMA manufacture II: Improved bacterial strain for acetate production: Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6654630

Three homoacetogenic anaerobic thermophilic bacteria, Clostridium thermoaceticum, Clostridium thermoautotrophicum, and Acetogenium kivui, were evaluated for possible use in an industrial fermentative process to manufacture calcium, magnesium acetate (CMA) from hydrolyzed corn starch and dolime. The hydrolyzed corn starch is fermented by the bacteria with a theoretical yield of about 90%. Improved bacterial strains were obtained from the clostridial bacteria but not from A. kivui. In fermentations with improved bacterial strains using dolime to neutralize the produced acetic acid, up to 150 g/liter of CMA was produced, however, the production rate was only about 12 g/liter per 24 hours. Batch fermentation, continuous fermentation with and without cell-recycling and continuous fermentation with a new type of rotating fermentor were tested. Economic evaluation of the results indicate that CMA can be produced for $0.24/lb. The rotating fermentor device was developed at the end of the contract period. With it a production rate of almost 10 g/liter an hour was obtained, however, the concentration of acetate in the harvested fermentation broth was only 1 percent. Further research should lead to the development of an economic fermentation process for CMA. 38 refs., 10 figs., 34 tabs.

Research Organization:
Federal Highway Administration, McLean, VA (USA). Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center; Georgia Univ., Athens (USA). Research Foundation
OSTI ID:
6654630
Report Number(s):
FHWA/RD-86/117; ON: DE89003074
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English