Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production
Published on: March 22, 2022
Microbial production of ethanol from carbon monoxide
Mark R Wilkins1, Hasan K Atiyeh
1Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA. mark.wilkins@okstate.edu
Abstract:
Production of ethanol from fermentation of CO has received much attention in the last few years with several companies proposing to use CO fermentation in their ethanol production processes. The genomes of two CO fermenters, Clostridium ljungdahlii and Clostridium carboxidivorans, have recently been sequenced. The genetic information obtained from this sequencing is aiding molecular biologists who are enhancing ethanol and butanol production by genetic manipulation. Several studies have optimized media for CO fermentation, which has resulted in enhanced ethanol production. Also, new reactor designs involving the use of hollow fiber membranes have reduced mass transfer barriers that have hampered previous CO fermentation efforts.
Related Concept Videos
Production of Alcohol
Microbial Fermentation
Microbes in Beverage Production
Bioreactor Controls-III
Microbes and Methanogenesis
Fates of Pyruvate
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...

