(191ds) Growth Kinetics and Modeling of 2, 3-Butylene Glycol Fermentation Using Carbon Monoxide

Two strict anaerobic species, C. autoethanogenum and C. ljungdahlii, have been shown to produce 2,3-butylene glycol (2,3-BG) in the stationary phase. 2,3-BG glycol is used as a fuel additive, polymers, and gas chromatograph applications. Currently, the largest source of 2,3-butylene glycol is through hydrolysis of 2,3-epoxybutane, and 2,3-epoxybutane largely comes from oil. It is desired to detour from oil as a primary source for a valuable substance.

These two species in the Clostridium genus can utilize carbon monoxide as the primary substrate source, which would make them useful in industrial applications. Therefore, intent of this research is to quantify the growth kinetics of these two organisms and formulate a kinetic model to predict the behavior of the said microorganisms in batch fermentation of 2,3-BG. Modified Monod model is utilized to describe the effects of substrate and end-products on cell growth, substrate utilization, and 2,3-BG production.