Mutated Clostridium autoethanogenum for Electrolyzer Off-Gas Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clostridium autoethanogenum, an obligate anaerobe capable of converting carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to ethanol and butanediol, is difficult to cultivate with long lag times and narrow redox requirements, and does not grow optimally under gas concentrations supplied by electrolyzers.
Innovation Solution
Non-naturally occurring C. autoethanogenum strains are developed through chemical mutagenesis and adaptive laboratory evolution to adapt to electrolyzer off-gas feedstock conditions, featuring mutations in genes encoding for transcriptional regulators, xanthine dehydrogenase, sporulation factors, and other proteins, resulting in improved growth and alcohol production rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If naturally occurring C. autoethanogenum is used, then the organism maintains its native autotrophic conversion capability, but it exhibits long lag times and does not grow optimally under electrolyzer off-gas conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by inducing mutations in specific genes (crp, fnr, xdh, spo0A, nusB, deoB) to alter the physiological parameters of C. autoethanogenum. These genetic modifications enable the organism to adapt to electrolyzer off-gas conditions with higher CO concentrations, resulting in reduced lag times and improved growth rates while maintaining autotrophic conversion capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates non-naturally occurring strains by copying and modifying the native genome of C. autoethanogenum. Through adaptive laboratory evolution and directed mutagenesis, the organism's genetic material is replicated and modified to achieve enhanced performance under industrial electrolyzer conditions, effectively creating an improved version of the native strain
2Productivity
If C. autoethanogenum is adapted to electrolyzer off-gas conditions through mutagenesis, then growth rate improves, but the organism deviates from its natural state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies physiological parameters by mutating genes that control redox metabolism. Specifically, mutations in crp and fnr (transcriptional regulators), xdh (xanthine dehydrogenase), and other metabolic genes alter the organism's redox requirements, enabling it to thrive under the specific redox conditions of electrolyzer off-gas while maintaining high alcohol production rates
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
These mutated strains exhibit increased growth rates and improved alcohol production compared to naturally occurring C. autoethanogenum, demonstrating potential for enhanced bioderived fuel production under electrolyzer off-gas conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Clostridium autoethanogenum is an obligate anaerobe with native machinery capable of autotrophic conversion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to ethanol and butanediol
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are non-naturally occurring C. autoethanogenum adapted to electrolyzer off-gas feedstock conditions that possess increased growth rates when compared to naturally occurring naturally occurring C. autoethanogenum.