Intensified bioprocess for the anaerobic conversion of syngas to biofuels

Abstract

Syngas, composed mainly of CO, H2 and CO2 can be produced from several sources, including coal, oil and natural gas, tar sands, recalcitrant wastes and biomass. Syngas can be a potential feedstock for the sustainable production of biofuels and bulk chemicals. The selective biological conversion of syngas is a possible alternative to the chemical route. Nevertheless the biological route remains rather unexplored within the bioprocess engineering community. Some anaerobic microorganisms have the ability to use CO, H2 and CO2 and produce renewable biofuels such as ethanol, butanol, and methane. As in the stage of work planning, this work introduces the main issues in the topic of syngas fermentation to biofuels. The experimental work to be performed aims to develop a new anaerobic bioprocess for the conversion of syngas to biofuels, with principal interest in ethanol, butanol, and CH4. An oscillatory flow reactor, presenting efficient gas-liquid mass transfer rates, will be explored carrying out proof-ofconcept experiments using pure and defined mixed anaerobic cultures. In a later stage, an energy based metabolic model will be developed to predict products formation according to specific environmental conditions.