Syngas fermentation

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Syngas fermentation, also known as synthesis gas fermentation, is a microbial process. In this process, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, known as syngas, is used as carbon and energy sources, and then converted into fuel and chemicals by microorganisms. [1]

The main products of syngas fermentation include ethanol, butanol, acetic acid, butyric acid, and methane. [2] Certain industrial processes, such as petroleum refining, steel milling, and methods for producing carbon black, coke, ammonia, and methanol, discharge enormous amounts of waste gases containing mainly CO and H
2 into the atmosphere either directly or through combustion. Biocatalysts can be exploited to convert these waste gases to chemicals and fuels as, for example, ethanol. [3] In addition, incorporating nanoparticles has been demonstrated to improve gas-liquid fluid transfer during syngas fermentation. [4]

There are several microorganisms which can produce fuels and chemicals by syngas utilization. These microorganisms are mostly known as acetogens including Clostridium ljungdahlii , [5] Clostridium autoethanogenum , [6] Eubacterium limosum, [7] Clostridium carboxidivorans P7, [8] Peptostreptococcus productus, [9] and Butyribacterium methylotrophicum. [10] Most use the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway.

Syngas fermentation process has advantages over a chemical process since it takes places at lower temperature and pressure, has higher reaction specificity, tolerates higher amounts of sulfur compounds, and does not require a specific ratio of CO to H
2. [2] On the other hand, syngas fermentation has limitations such as:

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References

  1. 1 2 Brown, Robert C. (2003). Biorenewable resources: engineering new products from agriculture. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State Press. ISBN   0-8138-2263-7.
  2. 1 2 3 Worden, R.M., Bredwell, M.D., and Grethlein, A.J. (1997). Engineering issues in synthesis gas fermentations, Fuels and Chemicals from Biomass. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 321-335
  3. ↑ Abubackar, H.N.; Veiga, M. C.; Kennes, C. (2011). "Biological conversion of carbon monoxide: rich syngas or waste gases to bioethanol" (PDF). Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. 5 (1): 93–114. doi:10.1002/bbb.256. hdl: 2183/13730 . S2CID   84912109.
  4. ↑ Sajeev, Evelyn; Shekher, Sheshank; Ogbaga, Chukwuma C.; Desongu, Kwaghtaver S.; Gunes, Burcu; Okolie, Jude A. (June 2023). "Application of Nanoparticles in Bioreactors to Enhance Mass Transfer during Syngas Fermentation". Encyclopedia. 3 (2): 387–395. doi: 10.3390/encyclopedia3020025 .
  5. ↑ Klasson, K.T.; Ackerson, M. D.; Clausen, E. C.; Gaddy, J.L. (1992). "Bioconversion of synthesis gas into liquid or gaseous fuels". Enzyme and Microbial Technology. 14 (8): 602–608. doi:10.1016/0141-0229(92)90033-K.
  6. ↑ Abrini, J.; Naveau, H.; Nyns, E.J. (1994). "Clostridium autoethanogenum, sp. nov., an anaerobic bacterium that produces ethanol from carbon monoxide". Archives of Microbiology. 161 (4): 345–351. doi:10.1007/BF00303591. S2CID   206774310.
  7. ↑ Chang, I. S.; Kim, B. H.; Lovitt, R. W.; Bang, J. S. (2001). "Effect of CO partial pressure on cell-recycled continuous CO fermentation by Eubacterium limosum KIST612". Process Biochemistry. 37 (4): 411–421. doi:10.1016/S0032-9592(01)00227-8.
  8. ↑ Ahmed, A; Lewis, R.S. (2007). "Fermentation of biomass generated syngas:Effect of nitric oxide". Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 97 (5): 1080–1086. doi:10.1002/bit.21305. PMID   17171719. S2CID   21650852.
  9. ↑ Misoph, M.; Drake, H.L. (1996). "Effect of CO2 on the fermentation capacities of the acetogen Peptostreptococcus productus U-1". Journal of Bacteriology. 178 (11): 3140–3145. doi:10.1128/jb.178.11.3140-3145.1996. PMC   178064 . PMID   8655492.
  10. 1 2 Henstra, A.M.; Sipma, J.; Reinzma, A.; Stams, A.J.M. (2007). "Microbiology of synthesis gas fermentation for biofuel production". Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 18 (3): 200–206. doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2007.03.008. PMID   17399976.
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