Degradation of lignocellulosic biomass and its subsequent utilization for the production of liquid fuels: Subcontract progress report, 1 March 1984-28 February 1985

Technical Report · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6446897

Cooney, C L; Demain, A L; Sinskey, A J; Wang, D I.C.

This project is a coordinated effort to develop process technology for the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass and its utilization for the production of liquid fuels. Current efforts are based on our prior success in developing a single-step microbiological process for the conversion of lignocellulose to ethanol. This process utilizes a mixed culture of Clostridium thermocellum, a thermophilic celluloytic anaerobe which degrades cellulose and hemicellulose to fermentable sugars and Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum, a thermophilic anaerobe which produces high concentrations of ethanol from both hexoses and pentoses. These studies focus on the use of C. thermocellum and its cellulases for enhanced saccharification of lignocellulose and on the direct fermentation of lignocellulose to liquid fuel. Efforts on saccharification are directed to facilitate the adoption of existing fermentation ethanol plants for cellulosic substrates and to overcome the rate limiting step of saccharification in the mixed culture. 9 refs., 9 figs., 9 tabs.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (USA); Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6446897
• Report Number(s): SERI/STR-231-3177; ON: DE87001197
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
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ALCOHOLS
ALDEHYDES
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
BIODEGRADATION
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BIOREACTORS
CARBOHYDRATES
CELLULASE
CELLULOSE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
CLOSTRIDIUM
CLOSTRIDIUM THERMOCELLUM
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
ENZYME ACTIVITY
ENZYMES
FERMENTATION
FRACTIONATION
GEL PERMEATION CHROMATOGRAPHY
GLYCOLS
GLYCOSYL HYDROLASES
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
HYDROLASES
HYDROLYSIS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFATES
LIGNIN
LYSIS
MICROORGANISMS
MONOSACCHARIDES
O-GLYCOSYL HYDROLASES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PENTOSES
POLYSACCHARIDES
PRODUCTION
SACCHARIDES
SACCHARIFICATION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVOLYSIS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
XYLOSE