Invited Oral Abstract

Redox potential control in anaerobic Clostridium beijerinckii fermentation using single-use bioreactors

Ying Yang and Ma Sha, Eppendorf, Inc., Enfield, CT, USA

40th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals

Redox potential is an important physiochemical factor which measures the tendency of the medium to acquire electrons. In Clostridium beijerinckii fermentation, redox potential indicates the status of the NAD(P)+ pool regeneration which directs the electron flow leading to solvent production including butanol. In this study, anaerobic C. beijerinckii (ATCC 6014) fermentation was conducted in the Eppendorf BioBLU® 3f Single-Use Vessel controlled by the BioFlo® 120 bioprocess control station. The parameters being monitored throughout the fermentation were redox potential and pH using the ISM® redox/pH sensors. The objectives of this study are (1) to investigate the effects of redox control on the growth and butanol production of C. beijerinckii; and (2) to validate the feasibility of using the BioFlo 120 and BioBLU 3f Single-Use Vessel for anaerobic fermentation applications. When C. beijerinckii was grown without redox control, a continuous and tremendous change of redox potential between -600 and 0 mV was observed in the broth. When fermentation ended at 124 h, OD600 was 0.8, glucose consumption was 33% and butanol production was limited. When redox potential was controlled at -500 mV by redox sensor guided addition of Na2S·9H2O solution, OD600 was 1.6, glucose consumption was 51%, and butanol production showed a 2-fold increase. In summary, with the combination of ISM Redox sensors and BioBLU Single-Use Vessels, the high variability of redox potential during C. beijerinckii fermentation can be actively controlled to increase biomass growth and solvent production.