Closing the Carbon Balance for Fermentation by Clostridium thermocellum (ATCC 27405)

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Bioresource technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.09.128· OSTI ID:1034006

Ellis, Lucas D ^[1]; Holwerda, Evert K ^[2]; Hogsett, David ^[3]; Rogers, Steve ^[2]; Shao, Xiongjun ^[1]; Tschaplinski, Timothy J ^[2]; Thorne, Phil ^[3]; Lynd, L. ^[4]

---

1. Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth
2. ORNL
3. Mascoma Corporation
4. Dartmouth College

Our lab and most others have not been able to close a carbon balance for fermentation by the thermophilic, cellulolytic anaerobe, Clostridium thermocellum. We undertook a detailed accounting of product formation in C. thermocellum ATCC 27405. Elemental analysis revealed that for both cellulose (Avicel) and cellobiose, {>=}92% of the substrate carbon utilized could be accounted for in the pellet, supernatant and off-gas when including sampling. However, 11.1% of the original substrate carbon was found in the liquid phase and not in the form of commonly-measured fermentation products - ethanol, acetate, lactate, and formate. Further detailed analysis revealed all the products to be <720 da and have not usually been associated with C. thermocellum fermentation, including malate, pyruvate, uracil, soluble glucans, and extracellular free amino acids. By accounting for these products, 92.9% and 93.2% of the final product carbon was identified during growth on cellobiose and Avicel, respectively.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1034006
• Journal Information: Bioresource technology, Journal Name: Bioresource technology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 103; ISSN 0960-8524; ISSN BIRTEB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
AMINO ACIDS
CARBON
CELLOBIOSE
CELLULOSE
CLOSTRIDIUM THERMOCELLUM
FERMENTATION
SAMPLING
SUBSTRATES