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

Title: Sugar accumulation during enzyme hydrolysis and fermentation of cellulose

Journal Article · · AIChE Symp. Ser.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5843596

An alternative microbial approach to cellulose degradation utilizing Costridium thermocellum, a thermophilic and obligately anaerobic bacterium, was investigated. This organism rapidly hydrolyzes cellulosic materials, including crystalline and non-delignified substrates. C. thermocellum produces mainly extracellular cellulase enzymes, though additional enzymes can be released from residual solids. An intriguing aspect of the C. thermocellum fermentations on cellulose is the accumulation of soluble sugars. Preliminary chromotog. analyses reveal that glucose and cellobiose appears to be insensitive to the accumulating sugars. Taken together, these observations suggest that direct conversion of cellulose to soluble sugars by C. thermocellum may indeed be a feasible microbial route to the utilization of cellulosic biomass.

Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge
OSTI ID:
5843596
Journal Information:
AIChE Symp. Ser.; (United States), Vol. 74:181
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English