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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

High-throughput Saccharification Assay for Lignocellulosic Materials
Published on: July 3, 2011
Conversion of sugars to 1,2-propanediol by Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum HG-8
N E Altaras1, M R Etzel, D C Cameron
1Departments of Chemical Engineering and Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706-1691, USA.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore a fermentation route for the production of 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) from renewable sugars: lactose found in cheese whey, and D-glucose, D-galactose, L-arabinose, and D-xylose found in corn and wood byproducts. Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum, a naturally occurring organism, was found to ferment a wider range of sugars to 1,2-PD than previously reported. The specific sugar had a significant effect on the selectivity for 1,2-PD vs other fermentation products such as ethanol, D- and L-lactate, and acetate. T. thermosaccharolyticum potentially provides an environmentally friendly route to a major commodity chemical now made from petrochemicals.
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