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Research Project: Developing Technologies that Enable Growth and Profitability in the Commercial Conversion of Sugarcane, Sweet Sorghum, and Energy Beets into Sugar, Advanced Biofuels, and Bioproducts

Location: Commodity Utilization Research

Title: Biobutanol production from sweet sorghum biorefinery byproducts

Author
item Klasson, K Thomas
item Qureshi, Nasib
item HECKEMEYER, MATTHEW - Heckemeyer Mill
item Eggleston, Gillian

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/31/2019
Publication Date: 11/6/2019
Citation: Klasson, K.T., Qureshi, N., Heckemeyer, M., Eggleston, G. 2018. Biobutanol production from sweet sorghum biorefinery byproducts. In: Lima, I., Eggleston, G., Clayton, C. (eds.). Proceedings of the Advances in Sugar Crop Processing and Conversion 2018 Conference. 2:274-281. 366 pp.

Interpretive Summary: Acetone, butanol, and ethanol can be produced by bacteria in fermentation. We have previously shown that sweet sorghum syrup can be used for biobutanol production but sweet sorghum sugars have competing product opportunities that may be more profitable (e.g., alcohol beverages). Therefore, we investigated if other sweet sorghum biorefinery streams could be used as raw material for biobutanol production. As many of these organisms are capable of using starch as a food source, we collected starch-rich sludge as a byproduct from the clarification of sweet sorghum juice and investigated if this material could be used as starting material for butanol production. The results show that, with the addition of a nitrogen source, it was possible to produce the solvents at higher titers than those obtained when glucose or diluted sweet sorghum syrup was used as a food source.

Technical Abstract: Acetone, butanol, and ethanol can be produced by Clostridia bacteria in anaerobic fermentation. We have previously shown that sweet sorghum syrup can be used for biobutanol production but sweet sorghum sugars have competing product opportunities that may be more profitable (e.g., alcohol beverages). Therefore, we investigated if other sweet sorghum biorefinery streams could be used as raw material for biobutanol production. As many of these organisms are capable of using starch as a carbon source, we collected starch-rich sludge as a byproduct from the clarification of sweet sorghum juice and investigated if this material could be used as starting material for butanol production. The results show that, with the addition of a nitrogen source, it was possible to produce the solvents at higher titers than those obtained when glucose or diluted sweet sorghum syrup was used as a substrate.