Biomanufacturing of early platform chemicals from industrial processing food waste using mono- and co-culture electrofermentation

Authors: BEENISH, SABA - The Ohio State University; AKINOLA, STEPHEN - The Ohio State University; CHRISTY, A - The Ohio State University; EZEJI, THADDEUS - The Ohio State University; Cornish, Katrina

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2025
Publication Date: 6/24/2025
Citation: Beenish, S., Akinola, S.A., Christy, A.D., Ezeji, T.C., Cornish, K. 2025. Biomanufacturing of early platform chemicals from industrial processing food waste using mono- and co-culture electrofermentation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 13(5):117732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.117732.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.117732

Interpretive Summary: As energy demand continues to rise, the need for alternative energy sources has become increasingly urgent. In the light of circular economy principles, the utilization of waste and by-products for energy production has emerged as a preferred solution. Consequently, research on food waste valorization has become a primary focus. This study investigates the potential for producing liquid fuels from spent coffee waste generated during industrial processing. The study's novelty lies in the innovative co-culturing of two Clostridium species under electrofermentation, which optimizes metabolic pathways to enhance butanol production, demonstrating a sustainable and efficient method for converting industrial waste into valuable biofuels.

Technical Abstract: The biomanufacturing of butanol from industrial biowaste resources through fermentation holds significant commercial potential. Biobutanol, a biofuel, can play an important role in meeting the demand for next-generation biofuels. This study investigates the synergistic co-culturing effect of Clostridium species for butanol synthesis during the electrofermentation of coffee waste. Acetone and ethanol were produced as co-products during the electrofermentation process. Microbial electrosynthesis at a constant applied voltage of -0.2 V resulted in the production of 12.8 g/L of butanol, with a total ABE (acetone-butanol-ethanol) concentration of 17.5 g/L. This is the first study demonstrating that co-culture and electrofermentation can work synergistically to produce nearly double amounts of butanol than conventional fermentation using a waste resource.