US20110177564A1 - Bioprocess and microbe engineering for total carbon utilization in biofuel production - Google Patents

Bioprocess and microbe engineering for total carbon utilization in biofuel production Download PDF

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Publication number: US20110177564A1
Authority: US; United States
Prior art keywords: fermentor; organism; anaerobic; aerobic; optionally
Prior art date: 2010-01-15
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.): Abandoned

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US13/007,325

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English (en)

Inventor

Gregory Stephanopoulos

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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2010-01-15

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2011-01-14

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2011-07-21

2011-01-14 Application filed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed Critical Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2011-01-14 Priority to US13/007,325 priority Critical patent/US20110177564A1/en

2011-04-14 Assigned to MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY reassignment MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: STEPHANOPOULOS, GREGORY

2011-07-21 Publication of US20110177564A1 publication Critical patent/US20110177564A1/en

2020-10-20 Priority to US17/074,682 priority patent/US11891646B2/en

2021-01-06 Assigned to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY reassignment U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CONFIRMATORY LICENSE (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12P—FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE
- C12P7/00—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds
- C12P7/64—Fats; Fatty oils; Ester-type waxes; Higher fatty acids, i.e. having at least seven carbon atoms in an unbroken chain bound to a carboxyl group; Oxidised oils or fats
- C12P7/6436—Fatty acid esters
- C12P7/649—Biodiesel, i.e. fatty acid alkyl esters
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
- C12M23/00—Constructional details, e.g. recesses, hinges
- C12M23/58—Reaction vessels connected in series or in parallel
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
- C12M43/00—Combinations of bioreactors or fermenters with other apparatus
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12P—FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE
- C12P7/00—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds
- C12P7/02—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds containing a hydroxy group
- C12P7/04—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds containing a hydroxy group acyclic
- C12P7/06—Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
- C12P7/08—Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage produced as by-product or from waste or cellulosic material substrate
- C12P7/10—Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage produced as by-product or from waste or cellulosic material substrate substrate containing cellulosic material
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12P—FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE
- C12P7/00—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds
- C12P7/02—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds containing a hydroxy group
- C12P7/04—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds containing a hydroxy group acyclic
- C12P7/16—Butanols
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12P—FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE
- C12P7/00—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds
- C12P7/40—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds containing a carboxyl group including Peroxycarboxylic acids
- C12P7/54—Acetic acid
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
- C12P—FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE
- C12P7/00—Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds
- C12P7/64—Fats; Fatty oils; Ester-type waxes; Higher fatty acids, i.e. having at least seven carbon atoms in an unbroken chain bound to a carboxyl group; Oxidised oils or fats
- C12P7/6436—Fatty acid esters
- C12P7/6445—Glycerides
- C12P7/6463—Glycerides obtained from glyceride producing microorganisms, e.g. single cell oil
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E50/00—Technologies for the production of fuel of non-fossil origin
- Y02E50/10—Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E50/00—Technologies for the production of fuel of non-fossil origin
- Y02E50/30—Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel

Definitions

microbial oil also referred to as Single Cell Oil (SCO)
PUFA edible poly-unsaturated fatty acids
the importance of yield as defining factor in economical biodiesel production stems from the large contribution of the feedstock cost to the total biofuel manufacturing cost (upwards of 55% by most estimates).
Many microbes are known to produce oil such as bacteria, yeast and algae with sub-optimal oil yields (3).
the low oil yield (along with low volumetric productivity) is a central reason that microbial-derived oil has failed to break commercial scale.
the amount of land required to produce a given amount of biofuel would be reduced by two thirds (1).
thermochemical processes were contemplated in the above CO 2 fixation concept, aspects of this invention provide biological methods to achieve fixation of CO 2 , which have a higher overall yield as they operate closer to equilibrium and are consequently more efficient.
the use of the biological methods for CO 2 fixation provided herein is useful to increase dramatically the amount of liquid fuels that can be obtained from a certain land area. Additionally, some of these methods provide an excellent means for hydrogen storage.
Some aspects of this invention provide methods, microorganisms, and bioreactors for the generation of TAG from a carbon source, in which CO 2 generated during TAG production from the carbon source is used in a biological CO 2 fixation process yielding a carbon substrate. Some aspects of this invention provide methods, microorganisms, and bioreactors for heterotrophic triacylglycerol (TAG) production from a carbon substrate that is a product of biological CO 2 fixation, for example, by anaerobic, CO 2 fixing organisms that utilize as reductant either gaseous hydrogen or electrons provided by a biocathode.
TAG heterotrophic triacylglycerol
Some aspects of this invention provide methods, microorganisms, and bioreactors for the aerobic generation of TAG from a carbon substrate generated by anaerobic CO 2 fixation, wherein CO 2 generated during conversion of the carbon substrate is used in the anaerobic CO 2 fixation.
TAG production is an energy intensive process requiring the oxidation of substantial amounts of carbon for the production of the energy and reducing equivalents embodied in the production of TAG, the most energy dense compound in nature. This should be, optimally, an aerobic process, as the required amounts of energy for oil production would be prohibitively slow to produce under anaerobic conditions by substrate-level phosphorylation.
the above conflicting requirements suggest that it would be highly unlikely to achieve both CO 2 reduction and TAG production in the same cellular environment.
Some aspects of this invention provide a solution to this problem in separating the aerobic and anaerobic functions into two different bioreactors: one for the intensely aerobic production of TAG (e.g., oil) and the other for the anaerobic reduction of CO 2 in the presence of hydrogen or electric current.
TAG e.g., oil
an oleaginous microbe optimized for TAG production from a specific carbon substrate e.g., carbohydrate feedstock
non-photosynthetic, anaerobic CO 2 fixation is achieved through the use of bacteria, for example, acetogenic bacteria.
the bacteria are genetically modified, or pathway-engineered.
the bacteria are Clostridia .
CO 2 fixation is achieved through the use of Clostridia under anaerobic culture conditions.
CO 2 fixation is achieved through direct electron transfer from the biocathode of a reverse microbial fuel cell (MFC).
MFC reverse microbial fuel cell
Some aspects of this invention provide a method comprising (a) culturing a first organism in the presence of a carbon source under conditions suitable for the organism to oxidize the carbon source, wherein the organism produces CO 2 as part of the oxidation process; and (b) culturing a second organism in the presence of CO 2 produced in (a) under conditions suitable for the second organism to reduce the CO 2 , wherein the organism produces a carbon substrate as part of the reduction process.
the conditions of (a) are oxidizing conditions.
the conditions of (a) are aerobic conditions.
the conditions of (b) are reducing conditions.
the conditions of (b) are anaerobic conditions.
the culturing of (a) and/or (b) is carried out in a fermentor. In some embodiments, the culturing of (a) and of (b) is carried out in separate fermentors. In some embodiments, the culturing of (a) is carried out in an aerobic fermentor. In some embodiments, the culturing of (b) is carried out in an anaerobic fermentor. In some embodiments, the method further comprises contacting the first organism with an oxidizing agent. In some embodiments, the oxidizing agent is O 2 . In some embodiments, the method further comprises contacting the second organism with a reducing agent. In some embodiments, the reducing agent is H 2 , CO, syngas, or H 2 S.
the O 2 and/or the H 2 are generated by electrolysis of H 2 O.
the syngas is generated from coal or natural gas.
the culturing of (a) and/or (b) is carried out in a liquid medium.
O 2 is dispersed in the liquid medium of the aerobic fermentor in the form of micro-bubbles; and/or H 2 is dispersed in the liquid medium of the anaerobic fermentor in the form of micro-bubbles.
the method further comprises providing electrons to the organism of (b) by contacting the organism of (b) with an electric current.
the electric current is provided via one or more electrodes.
the carbon source is a carbohydrate.
the carbohydrate is glucose, fructose, ethanol, butanol, acetic acid, biomass, cellulose, or hemicellulose.
a product of the carbon source oxidization process in (a) is a biofuel.
the product of the carbon source oxidization process in (a) is a lipid.
the product of the carbon source oxidation is an edible lipid, or a precursor thereof.
the carbon substrate produced in (b) is a biofuel.
the carbon substrate produced in (b) is ethanol.
the carbon substrate produced in (b) is a carbon source that can be oxidized by the organism of (a). In some embodiments, the carbon substrate produced in (b) is acetic acid or acetate, biomass, cellulose, or hemi-cellulose. In some embodiments, the carbon substrate produced in (b) is processed for use as a carbon source in (a). In some embodiments, the processing comprises hydrolysis of at least part of the carbon substrate. In some embodiments, the carbon source of (a) comprises at least part of the carbon substrate produced in (b). In some embodiments, the carbon source of (a) comprises the carbon substrate produced in (b). In some embodiments, the carbon source of (a) consists of the carbon substrate produced in (b).
the organism of (a) is a microorganism. In some embodiments, the organism of (b) is a microorganism. In some embodiments, the organism of (a) is an oleaginous yeast. In some embodiments, the organism of (a) is Y. lipolytica . In some embodiments, the organism of (b) is a CO 2 -fixing bacterium. In some embodiments, the organism of (b) is an acetogenic bacterium. In some embodiments, the organism of (b) is a Clostridium sp. bacterium. In some embodiments, the organism of (b) is C. acetobutylicum, C. ljungdahlii, C.
the organism of (a) and/or (b) is genetically modified.
the organism of (a) overexpresses an SCD gene or comprises any genetic modification described herein for TAG-producing organisms, for example, in Example 1.
the organism of (b) comprises a genetic modification that increases the activity of a Wood-Ljungdahl metabolic pathway member in the organism, or any modification described for CO 2 fixing organisms herein.
Some aspects of this invention provide a bioreactor comprising (a) an aerobic fermentor comprising (i) a carbon source, (ii) an organism oxidizing the carbon source and generating CO 2 , and (iii) an outflow, through which the CO 2 is removed from the fermentor; and (b) an anaerobic fermentor comprising (i) an organism reducing CO 2 , and (ii) an inflow providing CO 2 to the fermentor, wherein the inflow is connected to the outflow of the aerobic fermentor in (a)(iii).
the aerobic and/or the anaerobic fermentor comprises a liquid medium.
the aerobic fermentor comprises an oxidizing agent and/or the anaerobic fermentor comprises a reducing agent.
the oxidizing agent is O 2 and/or the reducing agent is H 2 , CO, syngas, or H 2 S.
the bioreactor further comprises an electrolysis apparatus that generates O 2 and H 2 from H 2 O, wherein the O 2 is delivered to the aerobic fermentor and/or the H 2 is delivered to the anaerobic fermentor.
the aerobic fermentor comprises O 2 in the form of microbubbles and/or wherein the anaerobic fermentor comprises H 2 in the form of micro-bubbles.
the anaerobic fermentor comprises one or more electrodes delivering an electric current to the fermentor in an amount sufficient to provide the organism in the anaerobic fermentor with electrons for CO 2 .
the carbon source is glucose, glucose, fructose, ethanol, butanol, acetic acid or acetate, biomass, cellulose, or hemicellulose.
a product of oxidizing the carbon source is a biofuel.
a product of oxidizing the carbon source is a lipid.
the lipid is an edible lipid or a precursor thereof.
the lipid is a triacylglyceride (TAG).
the aerobic fermentor further comprises an outflow through which the product of oxidizing the carbon source is removed.
the inflow of (b)(ii) is further connected to an external source of CO 2 .
a product of CO 2 reduction in the anaerobic fermentor is a carbon source that can be oxidized by the organism in the aerobic fermentor.
a product of CO 2 reduction in the anaerobic fermentor is biomass, cellulose, or hemi-cellulose.
a product of CO 2 reduction is a biofuel.
a product of CO 2 reduction is ethanol or butanol.
a product of CO 2 reduction is acetic acid or acetate.
the anaerobic fermentor comprises an outflow through which a product of CO 2 reduction is removed.
the outflow through which the product of CO 2 reduction is removed from the anaerobic fermentor is connected to the aerobic fermentor and the product of CO 2 reduction in the anaerobic fermentor is delivered to the aerobic fermentor.
the product of CO 2 reduction in the anaerobic fermentor constitutes at least part of the carbon source in the aerobic fermentor.
the product of CO 2 reduction in the anaerobic fermentor constitutes the carbon source in the aerobic fermentor.
the influx of carbon into the bioreactor is limited to the influx of CO 2 into the anaerobic fermentor.
the organism of (a) is a microorganism.
the organism of (b) is a microorganism.
the organism of (a) is an oleaginous yeast.
the organism of (a) is Y. lipolytica.
the organism of (b) is a CO 2 -fixing bacterium.
the organism of (b) is an acetogenic bacterium.
the organism of (b) is a Clostridium sp. bacterium.
the organism of (b) is C. acetobutylicum, C. ljungdahlii, C. carboxydivorans, C. autoethanogenum, C. thermohydrosulfuricum, C. thermocellum , or C. thermoanaerofacter ethanoliticus .
the organism of (a) and/or (b) is genetically modified.
the organism of (a) overexpresses an SCD gene or comprises any genetic modification described herein for TAG-producing organisms, for example, in Example 1.
the organism of (b) comprises a genetic modification that increases the activity of a Wood-Ljungdahl metabolic pathway member in the organism, or any modification described for CO 2 fixing organisms herein.
FIG. 1 The Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. “H 2 ” is used in a very general sense to designate the requirement for two electrons and two protons in the reaction.
FIG. 2 Schemes of combining an aerobic oil producing fermentation with an anaerobic CO 2 fixing process.
FIG. 3 Oleaginous microbe and time course (hrs) of oil accumulation in fermentor.
FIG. 4 Growth and oil production of oleaginous microbe on acetate.
FIG. 5 Schematic of the 96-well MFC and experimental set-up.
a Gamry single-channel potentiostat and 12-channel multiplexer (not shown) are attached to the pins of the completed reactor below.
FIG. 6 Growth and acetate production of Acetobacterium woodii on fructose and H 2 /CO 2 . (71)
FIG. 7 Sample process flow diagram with basis of 500 kg/hr oil production (approx. 1M gallons/yr).
acetogen or “acetogenic microbe” or “acetogenic bacterium” is art-recognized and refers to a microorganism that generates acetate as a product of anaerobic CO 2 fixation. Acetogens are found in a variety of anaerobic habitats and can use a variety of compounds as sources of energy and carbon; the best studied form of acetogenic metabolism involves the use of carbon dioxide as a carbon source and hydrogen as an energy source.
aerobic conditions are conditions that provide an abundance or even an overabundance of oxygen, for example, in the form of micro-bubbles of oxygen in a liquid medium.
a fermentor comprising a gaseous phase comprising at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 50%, or more oxygen is referred to as an aerobic fermentor.
anaerobic conditions is art recognized and refers to conditions that do not provide sufficient oxygen for efficient carbon oxidation by an aerobic organism.
anaerobic conditions are characterized by the essential absence of oxygen.
the oxygen content is less than required by a microbe employed to efficiently oxidate a carbon source.
a fermentor comprising a liquid medium and a gaseous phase comprising less than 5%, less than 2%, less than 1%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.01%, or less than 0.001% oxygen is referred to as an anaerobic fermentor.
biofuel refers to a fuel that is derived from a biological source, such as a living cell, microbe, fungus, or plant.
the term includes fuel directly obtained from a biological source, for example, by conventional extraction, distillation, or refining methods, and fuel produced by processing a biofuel precursor obtained from a biological source, for example by chemical modification, such as transesterification procedures.
biofuels that are directly obtainable are alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, and butanol, fat, and oil.
biofuels that are obtained by processing of a biofuel precursor (e.g., a lipid, such as a TAG), are biodiesel (e.g., produced by transesterification of a lipid), and green diesel/modified oil fuels (e.g., produced by hydrogenation of an oil).
Biodiesel also referred to as fatty acid methyl (or ethyl) ester, is one of the economically most important biofuels today and can be produced on an industrial scale by transesterification of lipids, in which sodium hydroxide and methanol (or ethanol) reacts with a lipid, for example, a triacylglycerol, to produce biodiesel and glycerol.
biomass refers to material produced by growth and/or propagation of a living cell or organism, for example, a microbe. Biomass may contain cells, microbes, plants, and/or intracellular contents, for example cellular fatty acids and TAGs, as well as extracellular material. Extracellular material includes, but is not limited to, compounds secreted by a cell, for example, secreted fatty acids or TAGs.
biomass is processed before being used as a carbon source for aerobic biofuel production.
biomass comprising a high content of non-fermentable carbohydrates, such as cellulose can be hydrolyzed into fermentable carbohydrates by methods known to those of skill in the art.
the pretreatment of biomass feedstock includes depolymerizing cellulose and/or hemicellulose components to monomeric sugars using a pretreatment method known to those of skill in the art, for example, a dilute acid or ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) method (see, e.g., Yang B, Wyman C E. Dilute acid and autohydrolysis pretreatment . Methods Mol Biol. 2009; 581:103-14; Balan V, Bals B, Chundawat S P, Marshall D, Dale B E, Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment using AFEX Methods Mol Biol. 2009; 581:61-77).
AFEX dilute acid or ammonia fiber expansion
the term “culturing” refers to maintaining a culture of an organism, for example, a microbe described herein for a period of time, generally, for a period of time sufficient for a desired fermentation process to be carried out by the microbe.
the culture comprises a microbe described herein and a medium, for example, a liquid medium.
the culture comprises a carbon source, for example a carbon source dissolved in the culture medium.
a microbe is cultured in an aerobic fermentor in a liquid medium in the presence of a carbon source (e.g., acetate, or a soluble sugar) dissolved in the medium.
the culture comprises a salt and/or buffer establishing conditions of salinity, osmolarity, and pH, that are amenable to survival, growth, and/or conversion of the carbon source to a biofuel or biofuel precursor by the cultured organism.
the culture comprises an additional component, for example, an additive.
Non-limiting examples of additives are nutrients, enzymes, amino acids, albumin, growth factors, enzyme inhibitors (for example protease inhibitors), fatty acids, lipids, hormones (e.g., dexamethasone and gibberellic acid), trace elements, inorganic compounds (e.g., reducing agents, such as manganese), redox-regulators (e.g., antioxidants), stabilizing agents (e.g., dimethylsulfoxide), polyethylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), gelatin, antibiotics (e.g., Brefeldin A), salts (e.g., NaCl), chelating agents (e.g., EDTA, EGTA), and enzymes (e.g., cellulase, dispase, hyaluronidase, or DNase).
enzyme inhibitors for example protease inhibitors
fatty acids e.g., albumin, growth factors
hormones e.g.,
the culture may comprise a compound, for example, a small molecule compound or drug, inducing or inhibiting transcription from a conditional or inducible promoter, for example doxicycline, tetracycline, tamoxifen, IPTG, hormones, or metal ions.
a conditional or inducible promoter for example doxicycline, tetracycline, tamoxifen, IPTG, hormones, or metal ions.
concentration of the carbon source will depend upon the respective engineered microorganism to be cultured, general methods and culture conditions for the generation of microbial cultures are well known to those of skill in the art, and are described, for example, in J. Sambrook and D. Russell, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 3rd edition (Jan. 15, 2001); David C. Amberg, Daniel J.
fermentor refers to an enclosure, or partial enclosure, in which a biological and/or chemical reaction takes place, at least part of which involves a living organism or part of a living organism. Where liquid cultures are used for fermentation, the fermentor is typically a culture vessel able to hold the desired amount of liquid media. If a gaseous phase is employed in the fermentation process, the fermentor employed will have a volume allowing accommodation of the gaseous phase and, if the gaseous phase is not air, the fermentor is typically sealed in an airtight manner. Typically, a fermentor comprises one or more inflows and/or outflows for the introduction and/or removal of liquids, solids, and/or gas into and/or out of the fermentor.
a fermentor comprises a culture of microbes performing the fermentation process.
a fermentor may continuously or semi-continuously be fed with new microbes from a growth or culture vessel.
fermentors can range from volumes of milliliters to thousands of liters or more.
Some fermentors according to aspects of this invention may include cell cultures where microbes are in contact with moving liquids and/or gas bubbles.
Microbes or microbe cultures in accordance with aspects of this invention may be grown in suspension or attached to solid phase carriers.
carrier systems include microcarriers (e.g., polymer spheres, microbeads, and microdisks that can be porous or non-porous), cross-linked beads (e.g., dextran) charged with specific chemical groups (e.g., tertiary amine groups), 2D microcarriers including cells trapped in nonporous polymer fibers, 3D carriers (e.g., carrier fibers, hollow fibers, multicartridge reactors, and semi-permeable membranes that can comprising porous fibers), microcarriers having reduced ion exchange capacity, encapsulation cells, capillaries, and aggregates.
Carriers can be fabricated from materials such as dextran, gelatin, glass, and cellulose.
lipid refers to fatty acids and their derivatives. Accordingly, examples of lipids include fatty acids (FA, both saturated and unsaturated); glycerides or glycerolipids, also referred to as acylglycerols (such as monoglycerides (monoacylgycerols), diglycerides (diacylglycerols), triglycerides (triacylglycerols, TAGs, or neutral fats); phosphoglycerides (glycerophospholipids); nonglycerides (sphingolipids, sterol lipids, including cholesterol and steroid hormones, prenol lipids including terpenoids, fatty alcohols, waxes, and polyketides); and complex lipid derivatives (sugar-linked lipids or glycolipids, and protein-linked lipids). Lipids are an essential part of the plasma membrane of living cells and microbes. Some cells and microbes also produce lipids to store energy
syngas is art recognized and refers to a gas mixture that contains varying amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and frequently also carbon dioxide.
Syngas can be produced from coal, first by pyrolysis to coke (destructive distillation), followed by alternating blasts of steam and air, or from biomass or municipal waste. Syngas can also be produced by steam reforming of natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons.
syngas is introduced into the anaerobic fermentor to provide reductants (CO and H 2 ) and, in some cases, also CO 2 for fixation by a CO 2 fixing organism.
natural gas or coal is used to produce syngas, which is then used according to aspects of this invention to produce a lipid, for example a TAG.
the TAG is a biofuel.
the TAG is an edible lipid or a precursor of an edible lipid. Accordingly, some aspects of this invention provide methods to convert an inorganic carbon source (e.g., coal or natural gas) into a biofuel or an edible lipid, for example, via syngas distillation and biological fermentation steps as described herein
triacylglyceride refers to a molecule comprising a single molecule of glycerol covalently bound to three fatty acid molecules, aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, via ester bonds, one on each of the glycerol molecule's three hydroxyl (OH) groups.
Triacylglycerols are highly concentrated stores of metabolic energy because of their reduced, anhydrous nature, and are a suitable feedstock for biodiesel production.
Some aspects of this invention provide novel bioprocessing methods, microorganisms, and bioreactors for the production of lipids, for example, of TAGs.
Some aspects of this invention provide methods and bioreactors in which CO 2 generated during the aerobic conversion of a carbon source to lipid (e.g., TAG), for example, in an aerobic fermentor, is used in an anaerobic CO 2 fixation process yielding a carbon substrate, for example, in a separate, anaerobic fermentor.
the carbon substrate produced by anaerobic CO 2 fixation is itself a biofuel, for example, ethanol.
the carbon substrate produced by anaerobic CO 2 fixation is a compound that can be used as the carbon source for the aerobic production of lipid (e.g., TAG), for example, acetate.
methods and bioreactors are provided for the production of biofuel (e.g. TAG and/or TAG precursors or derivatives, such as fatty acids or biodiesel) from CO 2 and H 2 or electrons provided by electric current.
a TAG-producing microorganism capable of converting a carbon substrate, e.g., a carbohydrate feedstock or an organic compound (e.g., acetate), to a TAG that can be used for biodiesel (e.g., fatty acid methyl ester, FAME) production or the production of edible lipids or other TAGs or TAG derivatives as described herein, is employed for TAG production in an aerobic fermentor.
the microorganism is an oleaginous microorganism, for example, an oleaginous yeast.
the oleaginous yeast employed is Yarrowia lipolytica .
aerobic TAG fermentation is combined with anaerobic CO 2 fixing bacteria operating in a separate anaerobic fermentor.
electrons are provided to the anaerobic fermentor via hydrogen for reducing potential.
electrons are provided to the anaerobic fermentor via current (e.g., via electrodes) for reducing potential.
the product of the anaerobic CO 2 fixation is a biofuel, for example, an alcohol, such as ethanol.
the product of the anaerobic CO 2 fixation is a carbon substrate, e.g., acetate, that can be used for aerobic fermentation to TAG.
acetate produced by anaerobic CO 2 fixation is utilized by the aerobic microorganism for growth and TAG (e.g., oil) production.
TAG e.g., oil
the aerobic acetate-to-TAG conversion achieves close-to-theoretical yields.
CO 2 fixation is accomplished by engineering the CO 2 fixation pathway in a CO 2 fixing microorganism, e.g., an acetogenic bacterium, in order to amplify carbon flux.
a natural organism or a mutant derivative of a natural organism that can efficiently accept electrons for CO 2 reduction in a reverse microbial fuel cell configuration is isolated and used for CO 2 fixation.
CO 2 is converted to a carbon substrate by a microorganism via anaerobic CO 2 fixation.
the carbon substrate is a biofuel, for example, an alcohol, such as ethanol.
the carbon substrate is a compound that can be used as a carbon source for aerobic fermentation to a TAG, for example, acetate.
Naturally occurring acetogens acetogenic bacteria
Naturally occurring acetogens that can produce acetate by fixing CO 2 in the presence of hydrogen or other electron source are well known to those of skill in the art and include, but are not limited to acetogenic Clostridia. While the overall rates of acetate production are low, the specific rates are reasonable, such that, if one could achieve a dense culture of approximately OD35-50, while maintaining the same specific rates of CO 2 fixation and acetate production, the overall acetate productivity could approach that of ethanol production by yeast. This would make the envisioned process of biodiesel production from CO 2 fixation economically feasible at a maximum hydrogen price in the range of $1.50-1.70.
acetogenic microbes are provided that are further enhanced to exhibit increased specific metabolic rates via methods of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.
Suitable organisms and culture/fermentation conditions for conversion of CO 2 to a carbon substrate for example, acetic acid, butanol, or ethanol are described herein and additional suitable organisms and culture/fermentation conditions are well known to those of skill in the art and include, but are not limited to the organisms and culture or fermentation conditions described in International Patent Application Publication Nos: WO2009/105372; WO2007/117157; WO2008/115080; and WO2009/064200; the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Additional suitable organisms and culture/fermentation conditions include, but are not limited to, those described in Das, A. and L. G. Ljungdahl, Electron Transport System in Acetogens; Drake, H. L. and K.
Additional suitable microorganisms include, but are not limited to, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum (see, e.g., “Evidence for Production of n-Butanol from Carbon Monoxide by Butyribacterium methylotrophicum ,” Journal of Fermentation and Bioengineering, vol. 72, 1991, p. 58-60; “Production of butanol and ethanol from synthesis gas via fermentation,” FUEL, vol. 70, May 1991, p. 615-619); Clostridium Ljungdahli , (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.
the acetogenic bacterium is a Clostridium, Moorella, Oxobacter, Peptostreptococcus, Acetobacterium, Eubacterium, Desulfotomaculum, Archaeglobulus or Butyribacterium , for example, Clostridium carboxidivorans, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum, Clostridium tetanomorphum, Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahlii, Clostridium carboxidivorans, Clostridium tetanomorphum, Oxobacter pfennigii, Peptostreptococcus productus, Acetobacterium woodii, Eubacterium limosum, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum, Moorella thermoacetica, Moorella thermoautotrophica, Desulfotomaculum kuznetsovii, Desulfotomaculum thermobenzoicum , or Archaeoglobul
acetogens suitable for use in the methods and anaerobic fermentors disclosed herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art. It will also be appreciated that, while in preferred embodiments a homogeneous culture of acetogens of a single strain is employed, a mixed culture of two or more acetogens may also be used in a CO 2 fixation process or fermentor as provided herein.
the CO 2 fixing bacteria e.g., the acetogen
the liquid medium comprises vitamins and minerals sufficient to permit growth of the microorganism used.
suitable liquid media for anaerobic microbe culture are known to those of skill in the art and include, but are not limited to, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,173,429; and 5,593,886; and International Patent Application Publication No WO 02/08438; the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
acetogens Besides using the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway to grow using CO 2 as a sole carbon source, some bacteria (e.g. acetogens) employ this pathway in order to maximize yield when grown with other substrates (e.g., glucose). They do this, for example, by consuming glucose normally by glycolysis, which produces CO 2 , reducing equivalents (e.g., NADH), and carbon for biomass or product (e.g., pyruvate). In certain circumstances, the cell can recover the CO 2 by using those same reducing equivalents to form acetyl-CoA (14). This allows acetogens to exhibit a maximum theoretical yield of 100%. All glucose consumed is metabolized to acetate, rather than the 50-60% as observed in many other organisms (15).
substrates e.g., glucose
reducing equivalents e.g., NADH
carbon for biomass or product e.g., pyruvate
the cell can recover the CO 2 by using those same reducing equivalents
Each CO 2 molecule proceeds down a separate branch of this pathway.
One CO 2 is activated by an equivalent of ATP, proceeds down the ‘methyl (or Eastern) branch’, and is reduced to an activated methyl group while the other proceeds down the ‘carbonyl (or Western) branch’ and is reduced to CO.
the two separate branches merge and one molecule of acetyl-CoA is synthesized.
This acetyl-COA may then undergo substrate-level phosphorylation, thereby being reduced to acetate and regenerating the ATP used to activate the CO 2 molecule that entered the ‘methyl branch’.
the ‘methyl branch’ of the acetyl-CoA Wood-Ljungdahl pathway depends on six different enzymes: formate dehydrogenase, formyl-H 4 F synthetase, methenyl-H 4 F cyclohydrolase, methylene-H 4 F dehydrogenase, methylene-H 4 F reductase, and methyltransferase (13).
formate dehydrogenase formyl-H 4 F synthetase
methenyl-H 4 F cyclohydrolase methenyl-H 4 F cyclohydrolase
methylene-H 4 F dehydrogenase methylene-H 4 F reductase
methyltransferase 13
the ‘carbonyl branch’ of the acetyl-CoA Wood-Ljungdahl pathway depends only on the single gene acetyl-CoA synthase (13) and this gene is unique to acetogens, methanogens, and sulfate reducers.
the acetyl-CoA synthase enzyme is bifunctional. Not only does it catalyze the reduction to CO, but also the assembly of the carbon from both branches into acetyl-CoA (17). Transformation of this pathway into any model bacteria or yeast, therefore, will only require the heterologous expression of two genes: methyltransferase and acetyl-CoA synthase.
any acetogenic microbe modified to exhibit heterologous expression of methyltransferase and/or acetyl-CoA synthase is suitable for use in the methods and/or fermentors provided herein.
the W-L pathway exists in several organisms, best known among them being the acetogenic Clostridia , such as Clostridium aceticum, Clostridium difficile, Moorella thermoacetica (formerly Clostridium ) and, also, Acetobacterium woodii . Besides a strong medical interest in these organisms, it is also noted that Clostridia have been the organism of choice for the biological production of solvents and butanol (18-19). As a result, there is a large body of research on their growth and physiology, enzymology of many reactions, including those listed above associated with the W-L pathway as well as enzymes catalyzing the Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) pathway (20-21).
ABE Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol
Some aspects of this invention are based on the recognition that deployment of Clostridia for CO 2 fixation at industrial scale can be achieved by: (a) increasing the capacity of the CO 2 -fixing pathway by over-expressing properly identified and targeted genes in order to enhance the specific CO 2 assimilation rates, and/or, (b) growing CO 2 -fixing Clostridia to high cell densities in order to achieve high volumetric productivities.
a natural acetogen preferably Clostridium aceticum, Clostridium thermoaceticum, Moorella thermoacetica
a natural acetogen is used as the CO 2 fixing organism in the anaerobic fermentor.
engineered acetogen strains for example, of C. acetobutylicum , as described elsewhere herein, are employed as the CO 2 fixing organism in the anaerobic fermentor.
Some aspects of this invention relate to the improvement of the overall volumetric productivity of acetate production via metabolic engineering of acetogens. Some embodiments provide methods for increasing the acetogen culture density as well as methods for engineering the pathway of acetogenesis to enhance the specific rate of hydrogen adsorption and metabolic processing.
acetobutylicum resulted in prolonged aerotolerance, limited growth under aerobic conditions, higher resistance to H 2 O 2 , and rapid consumption of oxygen. This has practical implications in allowing the cells to carry out partial aerobic metabolism for increasing cell densities and resolving electron flow bottlenecks.
an acetogenic strain of clostridia is employed for anaerobic CO2 fixation that exhibits one or more modifications as described herein, for example, a peroxide repressor deletion, which allows growth at increased densities.
a metabolically engineered C. acetobutylicum that directly utilizes CO 2 and H 2 for the production of acetate and biomass.
genes from the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway are isolated from other mesophilic or thermophilic clostridia and cloned into C. acetobutylicum.
C. acetobutylicum does not have a complete, native Wood-Ljungdahl pathway but does have a number of homologs to components of the W-L pathway (Table 1).
the first homolog is the ⁇ -subunit of the formate dehydrogenase, which reduces CO 2 to formate and is the first reaction in the “Eastern” branch of the pathway.
this enzyme is made up of ⁇ and ⁇ subunits, Moth — 2312 and Moth — 2314, respectively.
a potential homolog was only found for the ⁇ -subunit and it is not known why C. acetobutylicum would have a functional ⁇ -subunit without an ⁇ -subunit.
the ⁇ -subunit homolog in C. difficile is not located near the ⁇ -subunit, as would be expected. It is possible C. difficile only needs the one enzyme CD3317 to reduce CO 2 to formate.
CAC0291 has poor homology but is a bifunctional enzyme in C. acetobutylicum , which codes for both the needed methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and a homocysteine S-methyltransferase.
C. acetobutylicum is missing most of the enzymes from the Western branch.
the only good homologs which were found in C. acetobutylicum are two carbon monoxide dehydrogenases.
a second potential homolog is a methyltetrahydrofolate methyltransferase, CAC0578, which has very poor protein identity with the corresponding enzyme in both M. thermoacetica and C. difficile .
CAC0578 is annotated as being able to catalyze the reaction from methyl-H 4 folate to H 4 folate, the reaction that the M. thermoacetica and C. difficile enzymes carry out.
At least four genes will be cloned into C. acetobutylicum to generate a complete Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (Table 1): a formate dehydrogenase (e.g., CD3317, 2.1 kb), the CFeSP ⁇ -subunit (e.g., CD0726, 1.4 kb), the CFeSP ⁇ -subunit (e.g., CD0725, 0.9 kb), and an acetyl-CoA synthase (e.g., CD0728, 2.1 kb).
a formate dehydrogenase e.g., CD3317, 2.1 kb
the CFeSP ⁇ -subunit e.g., CD0726, 1.4 kb
the CFeSP ⁇ -subunit e.g., CD0725, 0.9 kb
an acetyl-CoA synthase e.g., CD0728,
a methyltetrahydrofolate methyltransferase e.g., CD0727, 0.8 kb
the ⁇ -subunit of the formate dehydrogenase e.g., CD1537, 1.4 kb
these genes are C. difficile genes, since C. difficile has a complete W-L pathway and is a closer relative to C. acetobutylicum than M. thermoacetica .
at least two plasmids are used to express the genes in C. acetobutylicum . In some such embodiments, in order to facilitate a plurality of plasmids to exist together in C.
the different plasmids comprise different origins of replication.
one of the expression vectors uses the origin of replication from the B. subtilis plasmid pIM13, obtained from the C. acetobutylicum plasmid pIMP1 (55), and the second origin is derived from the C. butyricum plasmid pCBU2, obtained from the C. acetobutylicum plasmid pSYL2 (56).
the gene needed to complete the Eastern branch, CD3317 is placed on one plasmid under the control of the thiolase (thl) promoter, a strong clostridial promoter (57-58), while the three genes needed to complete the Western branch, CD0725, CD0726, and CD0728, are placed on the second plasmid as an operon under control of the phosphate butyryltransferase (ptb) promoter, another strong clostridial promoter (23, 57).
thl thiolase
57-58 a strong clostridial promoter
engineered strains are grown in serum bottles using a modified Hungate technique (59) in defined media (60) under CO 2 /H 2 .
small test tubes are filled with nonsterile, defined media, and gassed using CO 2 . After gassing, a butyl rubber stopper is used to seal the tube and a crimped metal seal is added. The tube and media are then autoclaved. Before inoculation, the tubes are filled with H 2 and CO 2 (80:20, v/v) to a final pressure of 0.2 MPa. These conditions were successfully used for Moorella sp. HUC22-1 (61-62). Other conditions will be apparent to those of skill in the art and the invention is not limited in this respect.
a defined clostridial medium (60) is used with minimal glucose (1 to 80 g/L can be used).
CO 2 uptake and utilization in C. acetobutylicum is monitored during bioprocessing.
the concentration of CO 2 and H 2 is measured in the headspace of the anaerobic fermentor throughout the fermentation via gas chromatography (62), and similar to previously described methods (63).
the recombinant strains are able to consume the CO 2 and H 2 while the wild-type control show minimal to no consumption.
a second assay uses C 13 labeled carbon dioxide, similar to the original Wood paper investigating the pathway (64).
C. acetobutylicum is grown on defined media with minimal glucose and C 13 O 2 /H 2 pumped into the head space.
acetate is isolated and run through a mass spectrometer to determine the relative amount of heavy acetate with C 13 to non-heavy acetate.
the recombinant C. acetobutylicum with the W-L pathway is able to produce heavy acetate, while the control wild-type is not able to produce heavy acetate.
the gene from C. difficile is added to the Western operon on one of the expression plasmids, to make an operon of CD0725-CD0726-CD0727-CD0728.
this expression plasmid is transformed into a C. acetobutylicum strain harboring only the Eastern expression plasmid to obtain a strain capable of high rates of CO 2 /H 2 consumption.
the ⁇ -subunit of the formate dehydrogenase from C. difficile will be added to the Eastern expression plasmid and transformed into a C. acetobutylicum strain harboring the larger Western expression plasmid.
the genes related to the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway are cloned from M. thermoacetica (instead of from C. difficile ) and overexpressed in C. acetobutylicum.
the native CAC genes are overexpressed in the acetogen (Table 1).
the native hydrogen-uptake genes namely: CAC0028—hydA, CAC0808-0811—hybG-hypE-hypF-hypD, CAC3230—ferredoxin, CAP0141-0143—mbhS-mbhL-hyaD
strong promoters like the ptb, thl, and the pta (phosphotransacetylase) promoters.
random chemical mutagenesis (65) or transposon mutagenesis (66-68) is employed to screen for an acetogenic strain that uses CO 2 and H 2 at high rates.
the genes that are introduced into the microbe to generate the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway are integrated into the microbial chromosome using a markerless technology (69).
a carbon source for example, a carbohydrate source
a lipid or oil for example, to a TAG.
the aerobic fermentation process is carried out by a microorganism or microbe.
the microorganism is an oleaginous microorganism, for example, an oleaginous yeast.
the microorganism is a microorganism described in U.S. provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 61/309,782, filed Mar. 2, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
the microorganism is Yarrowia lipolytica .
the microorganism is a genetically engineered oleaginous microorganism, for example, a Y. lipolytica that overexpresses a stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD) gene.
SCD stearoyl-CoA Desaturase
a stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene was identified as Ole1 in 1990 (Stukey J E, et al., J Biol Chem., 1990, 265(33):20144-9).
the human stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene was partially characterized in 1994 via isolation of a 0.76 kb partial cDNA from human adipose tissue (Li et al., Int. J.
FIG. 3 An exemplary oleaginous yeast overexpressing an SCD gene is depicted in FIG. 3 .
Such microbes can utilize various carbon sources for growth and TAG production, including acetate.
FIG. 4 shows that an exemplary Y. lipolytica overexpressing an SCD gene is able to thrive at acetate concentrations of 10%, making it an ideal candidate for the TAG production methods and bioreactors described herein.
Y. lipolytica is a non-pathogenic oleaginous yeast that can use a variety of carbon sources, including organic acids, hydrocarbons and various fats and oils.
the term “oleaginous” refers to a microbe that can accumulate more than 20% of its dry cell weight as lipid (see C. Ratledge et al., Microbial routes to lipids . Biochem Soc Trans. 1989 December; 17(6):1139-41).
Y. lipolytica represents a microbe for biofuel or biofuel precursor production, because Y.
lipolytica is an obligate aerobe with the ability to assimilate carbohydrates, for example, glucose, or glycerol as a sole carbon source, and, compared to other yeast strains, Y. lipolytica has a higher glucose to fatty acid and triacylglycerol (TAG) flux and higher lipid storage capacity.
TAG triacylglycerol
lipolytica is one of the more intensively studied ‘non-conventional’ yeast species and genome sequencing, including mitochondrial DNA, of Y. lipolytica was completed recently. Kerscher S, Durstewitz G, Casaregola S, Gaillardin C, Brandt U., The complete mitochondrial genome of yarrowia lipolytica . Comp Funct Genomics. 2001; 2(2):80-90. The availability of genomic sequence data makes genetic manipulation more accessible., even though functional annotation of genomic sequences is not complete.
Some aspects of this invention relate to an aerobic microbe engineered and/or optimized for large-scale TAG or TAG precursor production.
the engineered aerobic microbe comprises an increased SCD gene product activity.
the microbe exhibits an increased fatty acid synthesis rate, an increased TAG storage, and/or an additional required or desirable trait.
the engineered aerobic microbe is an oleaginous yeast, for example, Y. lipolytica overexpressing an SCD gene.
the engineered yeast exhibits highly desirable and unexpected phenotypic characteristics, for example: increased carbon to oil conversion approaching theoretical values, robust growth, continuous oil production, remarkable biomass production, and increased tolerance of the carbon source and associated substances.
the engineered yeast provided by aspects of this invention exhibits a carbon to oil conversion of about 0.025 g/g (g TAG produced/g Glucose consumed), about 0.5 g/g, about 0.75 g/g, about 0.1 g/g, about 0.15 g/g, about 0.2 g/g, about 0.25 g/g, about 0.29 g/g, or about 0.3 g/g, approaching theoretical values, continuous oil production.
the engineered yeast provided by aspects of this invention exhibits a biomass production that is increased about 2-fold, about 2.5-fold, about 5-fold, about 7.5-fold, about 10-fold, about 15-fold, about 20-fold, about 25-fold, about 30-fold, about 32-fold, about 35-fold, or about 40-fold as compared to wild type yeast.
the engineered yeast provided by aspects of this invention exhibits tolerance to the carbon source and associated substances at concentrations of up to about 150%, up to about 175%, up to about 200%, up to about 225%, up to about 250%, up to about 275%, up to about 300%, up to about 325%, up to about 350%, up to about 375%, up to about 400%, or up to about 500% of that of the highest concentrations tolerated by wild type yeast.
FIGS. 2 a and 2 b depict two exemplary bioreactors that include separate aerobic and anaerobic fermentors for the aerobic conversion of a carbon substrate to a TAG and the anaerobic fixation of CO 2 , respectively.
an integrated bioreactor system comprises an aerobic fermentor for the growth of an oleaginous microbe and/or TAG production, and an anaerobic fermentor where fixation of CO 2 and production of a carbon substrate (e.g., acetate) take place, wherein the CO 2 produced during growth/TAG production is used for the anaerobic production of the carbon substrate and/or wherein the carbon substrate (e.g., acetate) is used as the carbon source for the aerobic growth/TAG production ( FIG. 2 b ).
the aerobic fermentation process uses a carbohydrate feedstock as a carbon source.
CO 2 is assimilated along with hydrogen or electrons via a biocathode from an external electric current and reduced to a reduced carbon substrate by a CO 2 fixing bacterium, for example, an acetogenic bacterium, that is either engineered or is natively capable of producing reduced carbon substrates, e.g. ethanol, acetate or butyrate.
the carbon substrate is used as a carbon source in the aerobic fermentor for oil production by an oleaginous microbe.
the net input is CO 2 and H 2 or electricity
the net output is TAG, e.g., oil for biodiesel production.
part of the CO 2 introduced into the anaerobic fermentor is recycled from the aerobic TAG-producing fermentor.
the anaerobic fermentor is used to capture CO 2 produced in an aerobic fermentation process, for example, in the production of TAG by an oleaginous microbe, and the captured CO 2 is converted into a biofuel (e.g., ethanol) by culturing an appropriate Clostridium strain in the presence of the CO 2 and hydrogen under anaerobic conditions.
a biofuel e.g., ethanol
this “CO 2 recycling” yields almost double the amount of biofuel produced from a certain amount of carbohydrate feedstock.
An exemplary bioreactor according to this concept is depicted in FIG. 2 a.
the anaerobic fermentors described herein provide anaerobic conditions, which refers to conditions that are substantially devoid of oxygen.
the aerobic fermentors described herein provide aerobic conditions, which refers to conditions in which oxygen is present, abundant, or over-abundant.
the conditions within the fermentors are monitored prior to and/or during the bioproces sing carried out to generate TAG as described herein.
the anaerobic fermentor comprises a turbidometer to assess the cell density of anaerobic acetogens; a gas chromatography apparatus to assess CO 2 and H 2 partial pressures at the input and output of the fermentor; a mass flow meter to assess the gas flow rate; a pH meter to assess the acidity of the media; a thermometer to assess the temperature, and/or an HPLC apparatus to assess the acetate concentration and/or the concentration of other carbon substrates produced, for example, of ethanol, butyrate, or organic acids.
the aerobic fermentor comprises a turbidometer to assess the cell density of the oleaginous microbe, an HPLC apparatus to assess the concentration of the carbon source (e.g., acetate) in medium, or the concentration of other organic compounds serving as the carbon source, (e.g., citrate, organic acids), a gas chromatography apparatus to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures at inflow and/or outflow; a mass flow meter to measure the gas flow rate; a pH meter to measure the acidity of the media, and/or a thermometer to measure the temperature of the media.
the carbon source e.g., acetate
other organic compounds serving as the carbon source e.g., citrate, organic acids
a gas chromatography apparatus to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures at inflow and/or outflow
a mass flow meter to measure the gas flow rate
a pH meter to measure the acidity of the media
thermometer to measure the temperature of the media.
the fermentors further comprise one or more controllers that receive input from any combination of the above listed measuring devices and adjust the respective parameter to fall within a desired range or to approximate a desired value.
controllers that receive input from any combination of the above listed measuring devices and adjust the respective parameter to fall within a desired range or to approximate a desired value.
the bioreactor further comprises a carbon substrate (e.g., acetate, butyrate, etc.) concentration device comprising two dialysis units, the first for the extraction of the carbon substrate from the fermentation medium of the anaerobic fermentor using an amine such as ALAMINE® 336 and the second, containing a caustic solution, for the extraction of the carbon substrate from the ALAMINE® 336 solution.
a carbon substrate e.g., acetate, butyrate, etc.
concentration device comprising two dialysis units, the first for the extraction of the carbon substrate from the fermentation medium of the anaerobic fermentor using an amine such as ALAMINE® 336 and the second, containing a caustic solution, for the extraction of the carbon substrate from the ALAMINE® 336 solution.
This method can, for example, be used for the concentration of butyrate from fermentation broths achieving concentrations of butyrate of approximately 300 g/L.
the free cell anaerobic fermentor is replaced by a packed bed that employs fibers as immobilization support for the anaerobic acetogens.
the purpose of the introduction of a fiber bed immobilized cell reactor is to increase the volumetric productivity of acetate production through a continuous operation without washing out the anaerobic acetogens. In some embodiments, this approach yields a ten-fold increase in the volumetric productivity of the acetogen.
the packed bed fermentor is continuously or semi-continuously seeded with acetogens from a free-cell culture vessel.
the aerobic fermentor of the bioreactor comprises a microorganism described in U.S. provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 61/309,782, filed Mar. 2, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
the aerobic fermentor comprises a Y. lipolytica that overexpresses an SCD gene product.
the anaerobic fermentor of the bioreactor comprises an engineered CO 2 fixing bacterium, for example, an engineered acetogen, such as an engineered strain of C. acetobutylicum provided herein.
the aerobic fermentor comprises an rMFC as described in more detail elsewhere herein to achieve CO 2 fixation using electrons instead of hydrogen.
the bioreactor further comprises an electrolytic cell for electrolytic water splitting for the production of oxygen and hydrogen as depicted in FIG. 2 .
an electrolytic water-splitting device is used for the generation of the hydrogen stream of the anaerobic fermentor and the oxygen super-saturated (e.g., via microbubble formation) stream of the aerobic fermentor.
the generated O 2 is directed to the aerobic fermentor and/or the generated H 2 is directed to the anaerobic fermentor.
the aerobic fermentation process is carried out in a liquid in the aerobic fermentor and the O 2 produced by electrolysis of H 2 O is dispersed in micro-bubbles with increased surface area within the liquid and, hence, much higher volumetric mass transfer coefficient for oxygen in the aerobic fermentor than typical spargers can produce.
this advance contributes to achieving high cell densities (OD 350), for example, the cell densities that yielded the high oil concentrations shown in FIG. 3 .
anaerobic conditions are maintained in the anaerobic fermentor through purging of oxygen traces using initially a CO 2 stream and, during operation, a mixture of CO 2 and hydrogen.
C. acetobutylicum engineered to exhibit the aerotolerance phenotype by deleting the peroxide repressor (PerR)-homologous protein are employed as the CO 2 fixing microbes of the anaerobic fermentor.
Some aspects of this invention are based on the recognition that recent developments in Microbial Fuel Cells suggest that extracellular electron transfer (EET) can occur from a biocathode to a microbial culture and provide the reducing equivalents needed for CO 2 reduction in a reverse MFC configuration.
EET extracellular electron transfer
Various strains of Clostridia have been found capable of catalyzing the oxidation of reduced organic compounds with the concomitant generation of electrons, transferred via an anode to an external circuit of a traditional microbial fuel cell (MFC).
MFC microbial fuel cell
Most MFC research has focused on microbes capable of donating electrons to the anode from degradation of organic matter.
Some embodiments of this invention provide a reverse operation at the anode, where electrons from an external source (e.g.
a battery act as reducing agents of an oxidized compound, such as CO 2 , through the action of microorganisms harboring the relevant (W-L) pathway, and thus capable of carrying out the reduction reactions.
an oxidized compound such as CO 2
W-L relevant pathway
the efficacy of a biocathode in any bioelectrochemical system is typically directly related to the current density (amps per unit area) and coulombic efficiency (% of electrons recovered by the target product).
current density amps per unit area
coulombic efficiency % of electrons recovered by the target product.
autotrophic microorganisms are believed to be the key players on biocathodes since the cathode acts as the electron donor for metabolism.
CO 2 or bicarbonate
CO 2 can be reduced (or fixed), though to date there are few studies that directly examine biocathode carbon reduction as described elsewhere herein.
the equilibrium cathode potential is typically around 0V vs. SHE.
Perchlorate reduction with the help of an anoxic biocathode was first demonstrated in the presence of 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate (AQDS), an extra cellular electron mediator (32).
AQDS 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate
Perchlorate is widely used as a propellant in the aerospace and defense industries, and is of environmental concern due to its high mobility and inhibiting effect on thyroid function (33).
AQDS 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate
32 an extra cellular electron mediator
Geobacter sulfurreducens was also shown to reduce uranium (VI) to relatively insoluble uranium (IV) in an anaerobic biocathode poised at approximately ⁇ 0.300 V vs. SHE (38). In all cases the means by which these microbes harvest electrons from the cathodes remains unknown.
metabolic reduction of CO 2 is achieved on a biocathode of a reverse microbial fuel cell (rMFC).
the rMFC provides electrons to a CO 2 fixing bacterium, e.g., an acetogen, for the reduction of CO 2 to a carbon substrate.
the rMFC comprises an amperemeter to measure the current supplied, a turbidometer to measure the density of the cells in the rMFC, and/or a gas chromatography apparatus to measure the partial pressure of CO 2 at the inflow and/or the outflow.
MFCs are a type of bio-electrochemical reactors that allow one to harness energy (as electrical current) from microbial metabolism.
MFCs typically consist of an anaerobic chamber that houses the anode, a fuel (e.g. compost or wastewater) and associated microbes.
the MFC's aerobic chamber houses the cathode and, in some cases, associated microbes.
microbes oxidize organic matter using the electrode as the oxidant, and hence transfer electrons to the anode.
reactions such as the formation of water from protons and oxygen balance the oxidation reactions at the anode.
Electricity for embodiments using a biocathode or rMFC can be supplied by various means, including combustion of biomass or municipal waste that can also generate the CO 2 used in the process.
the engineered microbe used for aerobic carbon source to TAG fermentation is capable of converting, at almost maximum theoretical yields, carbohydrates to oils and fats for biodiesel production (see FIG. 3 ).
the oleaginous microbe is a Y. lipolytica overexpressing a stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene, which has been identified as a key regulator of carbohydrate to lipid conversion.
the oleaginous microbe comprises an increased activity of an SCD gene product.
the oleaginous microbe further comprises a genetic modification that increases expression of one or more genes chosen from the group of Hemoglobin, Cytochrome, GLUT, Malic Enzyme, ACC, SCD, FAA1, ACS, ACS2, FAT1, FAT2, PCS60, ACLY, FAS, Acyl-CoA synthetase, Pyruvate carboxylase, and AMPK genes, and/or a genetic modification that reduces expression of a JNK2 gene.
the oleaginous microbe is engineered to expresses a native gene as described above under the control of a strong, heterologous promoter.
the oleaginous microbe expresses a heterologous gene as described above, for example, a mammlian (e.g., a murine or human) SCD, hemoglobin, cytochrome, GLUT, ME, etc., gene under the control of a constitutive promoter.
a mammlian (e.g., a murine or human) SCD e.g., a murine or human
hemoglobin e.g., a murine or human
cytochrome e.g., cytochrome
GLUT GLUT
ME etc.
a Y. lipolytica expressing a murine or human SCD gene under the control of a constitutive promoter is employed.
concentrations between 80-100 g/L of biodiesel are achieved within 3 days in aerobic fermentors at conversion yields of ⁇ 0.26-0.29 grams of biodiesel per gram of glucose consumed.
the stoichiometry of the oil synthesis pathway of the aerobic fermentor (assuming tripalmitin to be representative of the oil composition) is:
the “product of CO 2 fixation” is used for the growth of the oleaginous microbe and oil production.
this product is acetate.
the reason to use acetate is two-fold: First, acetate is the product of most acetogens fixing anaerobically CO 2 , hence there is significant prior knowledge on this topic, along with the genes and molecular constructs that are required to further modulate the acetogenic W-L pathway ( FIG. 1 ). The second reason is that the oleaginous organism can readily metabolize acetate and produce TAG.
FIG. 4 shows a time course for the growth of the oleaginous Y.
lipolytica overexpressing SCD on 5% and 10% acetate. It can be seen that growth was uninhibited even at acetate levels of greater than 10%. The growth of the mutant was observed to be at least 3-fold greater than the parental strain. Oil production by the mutant was similarly 3-fold greater than that of the parental strain.
FIG. 6 shows growth and acetate production characteristics of an acetogenic strain ( Acetobacterium woodii ) researched in the 1970's (72).
the mass yield of this stoichiometry is calculated to be 7.375 g acetate/g H 2 .
an acetate productivity of approximately 2.5 g/L/day can be estimated.
213 M gallons of liquid culture would be necessary to produce enough acetate to be processed into 50 million gallons of biodiesel per year (see Table 2).
this productivity would require 213, 1M-gallon fermentors, a 25-30-fold increase relatively to ethanol fermentation processes with comparable annual output. At this productivity, therefore, the process would be economically infeasible.
cells can be grown to a high density using some easily metabolizable growth substrate (e.g., glucose), and then the cells can be used in stationary phase to continuously convert CO 2 and H 2 into acetate, thus addressing the problem of low titers dictating excessive culture volumes for adequate production.
some easily metabolizable growth substrate e.g., glucose
Methods for improving acetogenic CO 2 fixation by implementing or increasing flux through the W-L pathway in acetogens are described elsewhere herein. Both approaches result in increased acetate titers.
the theoretical yield of de novo synthesis of triacylglyceride from acetate was estimated using a carbon chain pivot method (75).
Intermediate metabolites e.g. glucose, pyruvate, acetyl-CoA
balance equations are combined such that the intermediate carbon pivots sum to zero.
the remaining non-pivot metabolites are either inputs (negative) or outputs (positive) of the pathway.
This method can account for energetics as well by including co-factors such as ATP, NADH, NADPH in the pivot table and constraining these to positive values.
the calculation of the stoichiometry for the conversion of glucose into tripalmitin (representative lipid) uses seven balance equations, which eliminates pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, NADH and NADPH from the total balance, to produce the final stoichiometry (shown in Example 4).
Acetate is converted into acetyl-CoA, which is the precursor for both fatty acid elongation and cellular respiration.
NADPH is generated in the Transhydrogenase Cycle (76).
the yields of both bioprocesses can be combined and an overall yield for the process of producing oil from hydrogen can be obtained.
the theoretical yield is 2.02 g oil/g H 2 .
This can be converted to an energy basis, according to the energy densities of biodiesel and hydrogen.
the overall energy efficiency for our process defined as energy content of fuel produced divided by energy content of hydrogen consumed, is 59.74% (see Table 2).
the biodiesel production scheme can be expanded to encompass processes for the production of hydrogen from sunlight.
Two possible processes appear amenable: (1) direct hydrogen generation from sunlight via photo-electrochemical cells (PEC), (2) photovoltaic (PV) conversion of sunlight to electricity followed by the electrolysis of water to produce oxygen and hydrogen.
PEC units can reach 12% efficiency under certain configurations (77). For PV, 40% efficiency is achievable, although 25% is much more common (78).
Hydrolysis of water using an electrolyzer is estimated to have an energy efficiency of 67% (79). If we combine these efficiencies with the biodiesel production scheme, we obtain theoretical sunlight-to-biodiesel efficiencies of 7.17% for PEC and 10.01% for PV-hydrolysis (assuming 25% PV efficiency). PV-hydrolysis is the more efficient process.
Possible flow rates can be estimated for implementation by incorporating the theoretical stochiometries into a process scheme, and performing a mass balance over the process ( FIG. 7 ).
a basis of 500 kg/hr oil production was used, which roughly translates into a small 1M gallon/yr oil production plant (note that water streams were omitted from the process diagram, and the stoichiometric equation for oil production from acetate also omits the production of water and reducing equivalents).
the carbon dioxide recycled from the aerobic reactor contributes to half the total carbon dioxide demand in the anaerobic reactor.
an electric-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency 67% (79) was used. Since there are only a few inputs to the process, the electricity consumed for electrolysis can give perspective to the level of power demand required for the process. 14.4 MW can reasonably be supplied by 3-4 wind turbines; a single wind turbine supplying about 3-5 MW each.
coupling of active potentiostatic measurement and control with a multi-well MFC is implemented to: a) screen for bioelectrical activity among strains, b) determine the electrode properties (e.g. potential, duty cycling) that are optimal for current production, and, c) identify strains with optimized current generation and coulombic efficiency.
the 96-well MFC allows to ally substrate utilization with electron acceptance, end product production and microbial population growth. In concert with the electrochemical measurements, this approach provides the most comprehensive view of microbial metabolism (EE T, metabolic rates) in relation to bioelectrochemical attributes.
the fermentors consist of three primary components, a top, a mid, and bottom plate ( FIG. 5 ).
the top plate is fabricated of PEEK (chemically and biologically non-reactive) and milled to allow a “1 ⁇ 4-28 thread” gastight HPLC fittings to be secured above each well of the glass plate. The fittings allow to sample fluids for microbial characterization, fluid characterization and dissolved gas analyses.
the top plate comprises a 1.5 mm hole to accommodate an insulated titanium wire. This wire can be potted in place and a small graphite electrode can be affixed to the wire using silver epoxy. This can serve as the cathode.
the mid-section of the bioreactor consists of a commercially available high strength glass 96-well microtitre plate (Rapp Polymer GmbH, Germany). These plates are available in several volumes (with different heights), from 1.5 ⁇ L to 1.5 mL. The appropriate size can be selected as needed. High-strength glass is ideal as it is cost-effective and electrically insulated.
the bottom plate of the bioreactor is fabricated of non-conductive machinable ceramic, and engineered to include a low gas permeability proton exchange membrane that physically separates each well (Nafion-PTFE 30%). The bottom plate can also include a flow-through channel that houses another larger electrode (about the length and width of the assembly).
This electrode can be used for hydrolysis, and the subsequent hydrogen ions can diffuse across the membrane to support biosynthesis.
the flow through channel can be flushed at a rate sufficient to insure steady state.
this bioreactor can be gastight and capable of withstanding 500 PSI (ca. 34 atm) up to 110° C.
This modular system represents the first bioreactor design that can be used to study aerobic or anaerobic microbial strains capable of EE T, while keeping substrates and volatiles contained within the well, in a high-throughput format.
this configuration will allow to a) interrogate up to 96 strains at a time, b) maintain each strain in well-defined conditions, c) poise each cathode independently by using a single-channel potentiostat and 12-channel multiplexer (Gamry Inc.), and d) ally microbial growth to electron acceptance and end product production.
strains and mutants are placed into each well, in appropriate media and substrates.
strains will be run in quadruplicate for statistical robustness.
the gas headspace of each well is flushed with a CO 2 :N 2 mix to achieve appropriate dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations and pH.
the potentiostat is be configured to poise all 96 wells at a pre-determined potential.
experiments are run for up to 84 hours. This supports microbial growth within the wells and allows the establishment of active biofilms on the electrode.
a fluid and gas headspace sample is manually collected from each well and analyzed for changes in total inorganic carbon via gas chromatography and for end product production using, for example, a gas chromatograph outfitted to extract gasses from aqueous phases, and capable of quantifying carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfide, methane, and carbon monoxide.
an isolate must: a) demonstrate bioelectrical activity; b) measurably reduce the inorganic carbon concentration in the well, c) produce a measurable quantity of the desired end product (acetate).
a strain satisfying these criteria is subjected to another round of testing.
each such strain is loaded into a total of 24 wells prepared as described above.
potentiometry is used to identify the optimal potential for microbial electron acceptance for each strain.
each select strain is again be grown in 24 wells. Four wells are subject to the pre-determined potential for one hour.
the multiplexer then subjects the next four wells to a different potential for two hours and so on, up to six hours at potential (this can be done sequentially, so that the total incubation time is 21 hours). These measurements (chrono-amperometry) provide a time-course of carbon reduction and biofuel production, enabling robust quantification of coulombic efficiency, as well as reaction kinetics.
media from each strain are also subjected to cyclic voltammetry to potentially identify any redox-active electron shuttles.
the identified strains are further tested using a medium-scale reverse MFC (rMFC).
rMFC medium-scale reverse MFC
this reactor can be approximately two liters in volume, consisting of two glass reactors separated by a proton exchange membrane (White et al 2009; Reimers et al 2007).
the reactor embodies the same principles as above but also includes a distinct chamber for anode and cathode.
the exemplary rMFC uses 24 ⁇ 1 cm diameter rods to form an electrode array.
the rMFC can be inoculated with a target strain, and can be subjected to the same tests described in the higher resolution screening above.
stable isotopically-labeled precursors e.g., 13 C bicarbonate
Articles such as “a,” “an,” and “the,” as used herein, may mean one or more than one unless indicated to the contrary or otherwise evident from the context. Claims or descriptions that include “or” between one or more members of a group are considered satisfied if one, more than one, or all of the group members are present in, employed in, or otherwise relevant to a given product or process unless indicated to the contrary or otherwise evident from the context.
the invention includes embodiments in which exactly one member of the group is present in, employed in, or otherwise relevant to a given product or process.
the invention also includes embodiments in which more than one, or all of the group members are present in, employed in, or otherwise relevant to a given product or process.
the invention encompasses all variations, combinations, and permutations in which one or more limitations, elements, clauses, descriptive terms, etc., from one or more of the claims or from relevant portions of the description is introduced into another claim or another portion of the description.
any claim that is dependent on another claim can be modified to include one or more limitations found in any other claim that is dependent on the same base claim.
the claims recite a composition, it is to be understood that methods of using the composition for any of the purposes disclosed herein are included, and methods of making the composition according to any of the methods of making disclosed herein or other methods known in the art are included, unless otherwise indicated or unless it would be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art that a contradiction or inconsistency would arise.
any particular embodiment of the present invention may be explicitly excluded from any one or more of the claims. Where ranges are given, any value within the range may explicitly be excluded from any one or more of the claims. Any embodiment, element, feature, application, or aspect of the compositions and/or methods of the invention, can be excluded from any one or more claims. For purposes of brevity, all of the embodiments in which one or more elements, features, purposes, or aspects is excluded are not set forth explicitly herein.

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WO2011088364A8 (fr)	2011-09-09
US11891646B2 (en)	2024-02-06
US20210214756A1 (en)	2021-07-15
WO2011088364A2 (fr)	2011-07-21
WO2011088364A9 (fr)	2011-10-27
WO2011088364A3 (fr)	2011-12-22

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