Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Lignocellulosic biomass based sugar hydrolysates with five carbon (C5) and six carbon (C6) sugars from various feedstocks have been evaluated for their fermentability by Myriant’s proprietary organism to produce organics acids - succinic and lactic acid. The cellulosic hydrolysates tested cover a wide range of different types of feedstocks and various kinds of pretreatment methods. The diversely treated hydrolysates were tested by bacterial fermentation to produce either succinic acid or lactic acid using Myriant Technologies’ proprietary Escherichia coli strains KJ122 and WH3. Strain KJ122 was optimized to grow on glucose as the primary sugar source. Strain WH3 was evolved on a xylose medium for production of succinic acid and subsequently evolved in concentrated bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate for tolerance to toxins. Lessons learned from WH3 and related strains were also applied to Myriant’s lactic acid production strains. Further improvements are currently underway using a combination of directed genetic engineering and metabolic evolution to select for strains capable of more efficient fermentation of hemicellulose hydrolysate.
Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-EE0002878/001 and the disclaimer language prescribed in the award is incorporated herein in its entirety.