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FAIR-CT96-2000
Production of fatty acid esters usable as fuels by fermentation of biomass
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Summary Information
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Agricultural Residues
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Biological Conversion
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FAIR Area 1.1 - Biomass and Bioenergy Chain
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Liquid Biofuels and Biogas
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Process Engineering
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Straw
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Sugar
Final Report Executive Summary
Progress Report December 1997
Summary
Objectives To develop a process of production by
fermentation from biomass, of fatty acid esters that may be used as
biofuels and chemicals, from laboratory to pilot scale.
Activities The technical work consists in
carrying out the following tasks:
- to optimise the fermentation stage which lead to fatty acids
production from fermentable biomass
- to select the micro-organisms giving the best yields and
productivities for the production of the most interesting organic acids
usable as fuels or chemicals
- to optimise the extraction stage and the esterification stage with
conventional or innovating processes
- to design and built a pilot unit for the production of fatty acids
and esters in a view to validate the laboratory works already available
- to carry out laboratory and bench trials in engines with the esters
we want to produce to verify their technical and environmental quality
as fuels
- to evaluate the development prospects of the technology by mean of a
technical and economical study of the process, taking into consideration
the results of each stage of the research.
Progress The work carried out during the first
12 months period dealt with:
- optimisation of the fermentation stage with pure cultures of strains
of Clostridium thermoaceticum, C. tyrobutyricum and C.
acetobutylicum as well as mixed acidogenic cultures from solid or
liquid wastes
- genetic modification of the yeast Cryptococcus curvatus in a
view to increase its fatty acids production
- study of the extraction and esterification stages at laboratory scale
with synthetic media and actual fermentation broth definition and
engineering studies of the pilot unit which comprises all the stages of
the process (fermentation, extraction, esterification)
- evaluation of economy of the process at industrial scale taking into
account the available results
- test of the esters in engines and boilers
Results
The following tasks have been achieved:
- optimisation of the culture of C. thermoaceticum on glucose
and hydrolysed molasses
- optimisation of the culture of C. tyrobutyricum on glucose
and hydrolysed molasses
- study of the production of organic acids from organic residues
collected in canteens and supermarkets
- study of extraction of the acids from simulated broth and of
esterification
- study of the coding sequence of C. curvatus delta
9-desaturase gene and integration of a genomic clone containing this
gene into the best oil producing strain
- preliminary evaluation and first bench tests of short-chain and
middle chain fatty acid esters in engines and in boilers, definition and
engineering studies of the pilot unit
- cost estimate of an industrial plant producing 40 000 t/year of
acetic acid for methyl or ethyl acetate production (first draft)
For the fermentation experiments, cultures were made in
300 ml vessels and 3 litre fermentors, saturated before inoculation with
carbon dioxide. The fermentations were run at 60 degrees centigrade, with
pH regulated at 6.5 using sodium carbonate. Initial glucose concentration
varied between 20 and 43 g/l. Several nutrients were tested (yeast
extract, corn steep liquor, molasses) as well as synthetic medium
containing only salts and vitamins, in order to choose the most economical
one for pilot experiments.
Future activities During the next period the
main tasks will consist of:
- building of the pilot unit and carrying out of a first series of
tests with it
- continuation of the laboratory work on fermentation with a view to
optimise its economy (reduction of the quantity of nutriments, use of
low cost substrates, ...) and on extraction and esterification in
parallel with pilot experiments
- evaluation of the constraint for long term storage of esters/gasoline
and esters/gasoil blends
- study of their effect on motor seals
- characterisation of the combustion of blends with a higher content of
esters and measurements of other combustion emissions (aldehydes)
