A Kinetic Study of Bioethanol Fermentation by E. Coli FBWHR Using Wood Hemicellulosic Hydrolysate As Substrate

Hemicellulose is currently a by-product currently under-utilized in the papermaking industry and represents the largest polysaccharides fraction wasted in most cellulosic ethanol pilot and demonstration plants around the world. It is a hetero-carbohydrate polymer, with β-xylose as the major component upon depolymerization. At the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, wood extracts were obtained by extracting sugar maple wood chips with hot water at 160 °C for 120 min. The wood extracts were then concentrated and acid hydrolyzed. Ethanologenic bacteria, E. Coli FBWHR, a new improved strain which was obtained from repeatedly adaptation of E. coli FBR5, had a good performance in wood hemicellulosic hydrolysate. This paper discusses the kinetic of bioethanol batch fermentation by E. Coli FBWHR using wood hemicellulosic hydrolysate as substrate. Due to the toxicity of hydrolysate in the fermentation media of concentrated hydrolysate, the ethanol production decreases with the increase concentration of wood hemicellulosic hydrolysate.