Ethanol-Enhanced Fermentation Medium for Hexanol and Butanol Production
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for producing hexanol and butanol from synthesis gas face challenges such as low productivity and inefficient use of carbon sources, with hexanol production from sugar-based methods limited by insufficient reducing power and butanol production inhibited by byproducts like acetone.
Innovation Solution
Optimizing the fermentation process by adding ethanol to the medium, which provides reducing power, and controlling the culturing conditions like temperature and gas supply to maximize the production of hexanol and butanol from synthesis gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If hexanol is produced from sugar-based fermentation, then the process is simple, but the reducing power is insufficient leading to low productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines sugar-based fermentation and synthesis gas fermentation processes into a hybrid system. The fermentation medium contains both sugar (for ease of manufacture) and synthesis gas (for sufficient reducing power), allowing the microorganism to utilize both carbon sources simultaneously to achieve high productivity while maintaining process simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fermentation medium uses a composite carbon source system comprising both organic carbon (sugar) and inorganic carbon (synthesis gas containing CO and CO2). This composite approach provides both the metabolic simplicity of sugar utilization and the reducing power of gas-phase carbon sources, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and productivity.
2Productivity
If butanol is produced from synthesis gas, then the reducing power is sufficient, but byproducts like acetone inhibit production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful byproduct issue into a benefit by optimizing the fermentation conditions and medium composition to shift the metabolic pathway. By providing both sugar and synthesis gas as carbon sources, the system directs metabolism toward butanol and hexanol production while minimizing acetone formation, turning a potential harm (byproduct inhibition) into a benefit (selective product formation).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes in the fermentation medium (pH, temperature, gas composition, nutrient ratios) to control the metabolic pathway of the microorganism. By adjusting these parameters, the system optimizes butanol production from synthesis gas while suppressing acetone formation, thereby resolving the contradiction between sufficient reducing power and byproduct inhibition.
3Productivity
If ethanol is added to the medium, then reducing power is provided for alcohol production, but the medium composition becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the fermentation medium universal by incorporating multiple carbon sources (sugar, synthesis gas, and ethanol) that can serve different functions. Ethanol specifically provides the necessary reducing power for alcohol production, while sugar provides easy-to-utilize carbon, and synthesis gas provides additional reducing power and carbon. This multi-functional medium composition resolves the contradiction between productivity enhancement and complexity increase.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly increases the productivity of hexanol and butanol, allowing for their efficient production by focusing the carbon source flow towards these alcohols, thereby improving economic efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a step of fermenting synthesis gas by a strain producing one or more alcohol selected from a group consisting of hexanol and butanol
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a composition for preparing hexanol or butanol and a method for preparing hexanol or butanol using ethanol and synthesis gas, wherein the composition according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a medium composition containing ethanol as an active ingredient, and by culturing a strain producing hexanol or butanol after inoculating with a medium containing the composition and supplying synthesis gas, hexanol or butanol can be prepared economically using inexpensive synthesis gas, and hexanol or butanol can be prepared with high efficiency by focusing the flow of a carbon source consumed in a fermentation process to the production of hexanol or butanol.