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Methods for mitigation of bio-oil extract toxicity
Jacky K S Chan1, Sheldon J B Duff
1The University of British Columbia, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3.
Bioresource Technology
|January 29, 2010
Summary
Detoxifying bio-oil hydrolysates using overliming or solvent extraction enhances ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Adaptive evolution of yeast further boosts ethanol yields, crucial for biofuel development.
Area of Science:
- Biomass Conversion
- Biofuel Production
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic materials yields levoglucosan, a precursor to fermentable glucose.
- Co-extraction of fermentation inhibitors from bio-oil reduces ethanol yields during glucose fermentation.
- Effective detoxification of bio-oil hydrolysates is essential for efficient biofuel production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate methods for mitigating the toxicity of bio-oil aqueous extracts.
- To improve the fermentability of bio-oil hydrolysates for enhanced ethanol production.
- To identify effective detoxification techniques for lignocellulosic-derived sugars.
Main Methods:
- Overliming: adjusting pH with calcium hydroxide to precipitate inhibitors.
- Solvent Extraction: using tri-n-octylamine with 1-octanol to remove acetic acid.
- Adaptive Evolution: exposing yeast strains to increasing concentrations of inhibitors.
Main Results:
- Overliming increased ethanol yield by 0.19-0.45 g/g glucose depending on hydrolysate concentration.
- Solvent extraction with tri-n-octylamine/1-octanol removed 90% of acetic acid, increasing yield by 0.24 g/g glucose.
- Adaptive evolution enhanced ethanol yield by up to 39% compared to unadapted yeast strains.
Conclusions:
- Overliming and solvent extraction are effective for detoxifying bio-oil hydrolysates, improving ethanol yields.
- Selective removal of acetic acid is key to enhancing fermentation efficiency.
- Adaptive evolution offers a promising strategy to overcome inhibitor toxicity in yeast fermentation.
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