Evolution of solvent-producing Clostridium beijerinckii toward high butanol tolerance

BIOT 305

Jingbo Zhao, zhao.276@osu.edu1, Shang-Tian Yang, yang.15@osu.edu2, Weihong Jiang3, and Sheng Yang3. (1) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 140 W 19th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, (2) Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Ohio State University, 140 W.19th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, (3) Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai, China
Butanol is an important industrial chemical and has been considered as a potential fuel. Biological production of butanol by solvent-producing Clostridia inevitably encountered the low butanol titer due to the high toxicity of butanol, which heavily affected the economics of the biobutanol production. To improve the butanol tolerance, cells of an asporogenous mutant of Clostridium beijerinckii were immobilized in a fibrous bed bioreactor (FBB) and intermittently challenged with butanol produced by themselves. The maximal butanol titer was dramatically improved after a long period of adaptation, which may attribute to the high density and improved survival and mutation ability of cells immobilized in FBB. In addition, a recombinant Clostridium beijerinckii strain with enhanced mutation frequency was constructed. The mutator strain in combination with the FBB-based adaptation method will help more rapid evolution of the solvent-producing Clostridium beijerinckii towards higher butanol tolerance.
 

Biotechnological Solutions to Global Security: Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
8:30 AM-11:30 AM, Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Ronald Reagan Bldg. -- Atrium Ballroom A, Oral

Division of Biochemical Technology

The 238th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 16-20, 2009