Microvi engineered biocatalysts significantly improve ethanol production
25 June 2015
Microvi Biotechnologies, a developer of biocatalytic processes, working with the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has demonstrated significant improvements to biological ethanol production.
Microvi’s technology uses engineered biocatalyst composites which have been synthetically designed to 1) alleviate ethanol toxicity on the cells which produce it; 2) induce higher feedstock conversion yields and efficiencies; and 3) enable robust and repeatable continuous fermentation. The technology, now commercially available, is also designed to limit microbial contaminants in the production process.
In the first phase of the Microvi-ABPDU collaboration, Microvi’s biocatalytic technology was compared with a conventional yeast ethanol production (control) system run in parallel, at bench scale, at the ABPDU. The investigation showed that even under non-optimized conditions, the Microvi technology achieved higher performance values than the control system:
Bio-ethanol productivity nearly doubled (8.15 g L-1 h-1 vs. 3.95 g L-1 h-1).
Feedstock conversion yields approached theoretical maximum (99.8% vs. 77.4%).
Achievement of higher titer (24.05% vs 18.39% ethanol v/v).
Minimal production of acetic acid, an undesirable side product seen in some ethanol fermentations due to contamination or metabolic stress.
The biocatalysts also exhibit high tolerance (in excess of 5 grams per liter) to furfural and HMF which are generated in the production of cellulosic sugars.
A preliminary techno-economic evaluation by Microvi indicates that the combined impact of higher productivity, increased titers and near-complete conversion of feedstock to ethanol represents a strong case for cost reduction by ethanol and bio-based chemical producers.
Microvi’s solutions for biomass to ethanol are its first bioenergy solutions to be made available for commercial licensing. Microvi is able to supply commercial quantities of biocatalyst composite using non-proprietary yeast or an engineered biocatalyst composite containing proprietary yeast supplied by a licensee of the Microvi solution.
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