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Title: Ionic liquid-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities for lignocellulose conversion to bioproducts

Journal Article · · Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
  2. Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biological Science and Engineering Division
  3. Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biology and Biotechnology Division
  4. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States)

Chemical and physical pretreatment of biomass is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and bioproducts. Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment has attracted significant attention due to the unique ability of certain ILs to solubilize some or all components of the plant cell wall. However, these ILs inhibit not only the enzyme activities but also the growth and productivity of microorganisms used in downstream hydrolysis and fermentation processes. While pretreated biomass can be washed to remove residual IL and reduce inhibition, extensive washing is costly and not feasible in large-scale processes. IL-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities have been discovered from environmental samples and studies begun to elucidate mechanisms of IL tolerance. The discovery of IL tolerance in environmental microbial communities and individual microbes has lead to the proposal of molecular mechanisms of resistance. Here, we review recent progress on discovering IL-tolerant microorganisms, identifying metabolic pathways and mechanisms of tolerance, and engineering microorganisms for IL tolerance. Research in these areas will yield new approaches to overcome inhibition in lignocellulosic biomass bioconversion processes and increase opportunities for the use of ILs in biomass pretreatment.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) National Inst. of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1436606
Journal Information:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol. 100, Issue 24; ISSN 0175-7598
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 32 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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An Overview on the Toxicological Properties of Ionic Liquids toward Microorganisms journal April 2020
Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger journal January 2018
Exceptional solvent tolerance in Yarrowia lipolytica is enhanced by sterols journal July 2019
Generation of a platform strain for ionic liquid tolerance using adaptive laboratory evolution journal November 2017
Kluyveromyces marxianus, an Attractive Yeast for Ethanolic Fermentation in the Presence of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids journal March 2018
Kluyveromyces marxianus, an Attractive Yeast for Ethanolic Fermentation in the Presence of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids text January 2018
Proteomic profiling of Sporotrichum thermophile under the effect of ionic liquids: manifestation of an oxidative stress response journal May 2019