The Performance Of Clostridium Phytofermentans For Biofuels Production From Lignocellulosic Biomass

Ethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass is an alternative transportation fuel with the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy security. Source-separated organic waste (SSO) from the city of Toronto was investigated for feasibility as a lignocellulosic ethanol feedstock. Clostridium phytofermentans is a mesophilic, cellulolytic and ethanologenic species with potential application for ethanol production from lignocullulosic biomass. C. phytofermentans was considered for biofuels production through experiments on a variety of substrates including soluble sugars and pure celluloses. Results from this study found that C. phytofermentans produced 73% of the theoretical ethanol yield on cellobiose but grew poorly on glucose and xylose. In addition, C. phytofermentans grew marginally on microcrystalline and ball-milled cellulose, but with supplemental enzymes produced 55% of the theoretical ethanol yield.