Sunday, May 4, 2008
4-37

Optimization Strategies for PHA production using Rhodospirillum rubrum Cultured on Synthesis Gas in a Continuous Reactor

David C. Chipman, Dong-Won Choi, Samuel T. Jones, and Robert C. Brown. Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 410 Marston, Ames, IA 50011-2161

Synthesis gas (syngas) fermentation is a two stage process consisting of biomass gasification followed by fermentation to produce valuable fuel and chemical products.  During gasification, biomass is thermochemically converted into a flammable gas mixture at high temperatures.  Syngas, containing mostly hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2), is produced from oxygen-blown gasification of biomass or other carbonaceous feedstocks.  Rhodospirillum rubrum, a purple, non-sulfur photosynthetic bacterium, is capable of utilizing the CO in syngas to produce hydrogen, a high fuel value gas, and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a biodegradable plastic.  R. rubrum accumulates PHA as an energy and carbon storage molecule under unbalanced or stressed growth conditions.  The purpose of this investigation is to optimize R. rubrum growth conditions to increase PHA and H2 productivity.  Different pH, temperature, acetic acid concentration, and buffering agent manipulations are evaluated in parallel with different cell growth stages for their effects on PHA and H2 productivity.

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