Sunday, April 29, 2007
1B-73

Effect of furfural on the growth and cofermentation of glucose and xylose by recombinant yeast

Ryan Warner1, Miroslav Sedlak2, Nancy W. Y. Ho3, Michael R. Ladisch2, and Nathan S. Mosier4. (1) LORRE/Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 500 Central Dr, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (2) Lorre/abe, Purdue University, Potter Engineering Center, 500 Central Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (3) LORRE/Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, 500 Central Dr, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (4) LORRE/Ag. and Bio. Engineering, Purdue University, Potter Engineering Center, 500 Central Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Furfural, the acid-catalyzed degradation product of pentoses, has been shown to decrease the fermentability and the ethanol yields from sugars derived from lignocellulose.  This paper reports a systematic study of the effect of furfural on cell growth and fermentation of both glucose and xylose to ethanol by the recombinant yeast S. cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST).  Fermentations were run with furfural, HMF, or both in a control solution of YEP with glucose and xylose as co-substrates or xylose alone.  Cell concentrations at the beginning of the fermentation varied between 0.1 and 9 g/L.  Inhibitor concentrations were varied from 0 to 40 g/L. Batch fermentations were carried out for at least 48 hours in 300 mL sidearm flasks at 30°C and 200 rpm with  periodic sampling for analysis by HPLC.  Our results show that concentrations of either furfural below about 5 g/L cause negligible inhibition for yeast cells in early stationary phase while similar concentrations will length the lag phase of lower inoculations of cells.  Xylose fermentation to ethanol is more sensitive to furfural than glucose for fermentation to ethanol.  These results are then compared to the fermentation of xylose obtained from pretreated corn stover and pretreated poplar hydrolyzates from the Biomass Refining Consortium for Applied Fundamentals and Innovation (CAFI) that contain varying concentrations of inhibitors.

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