This fermentation study immobilised Clostridium beijerinckii TISTR 1461 on lotus-stalk pieces to produce acetone-butanol-ethanol from sugarcane molasses. Ammonium-acetate buffering and a fed-batch process integrated with gas stripping performed best, reaching 23.04 g/L total butanol and 0.64 g/L/h productivity.
Key findings
- ZnSO4, MnSO4 or FeSO4 at 0.01 g/L impaired production, whereas 2.2 g/L ammonium acetate improved concentration and productivity by 8-11%. Batch culture at 80 g/L initial sugar produced 19.65 g/L butanol at 0.55 g/L/h. Batch gas stripping reached 22.26 g/L and 0.61 g/L/h. Fed-batch plus gas stripping delivered 23.04 g/L butanol, 35.91 g/L ABE, a 0.30 g/g yield and 0.64 g/L/h productivity, about 14-15% above fed-batch without recovery.
Why this matters globally
Biobutanol is both a fuel and an industrial feedstock. Valorising molasses and lotus stalks could reduce feedstock costs and support a circular bioeconomy. Real impact will depend on gas-stripping energy demand, carrier reuse and plant-scale performance.
Thai researcher contribution
The team from Regional Health Promotion Center 8, Udon Thani and Khon Kaen University used a TISTR strain and agriculturally relevant feedstocks to integrate fermentation with product recovery.
Limitations to consider
The evidence is laboratory-scale and lacks full process economics. Carrier reuse, long-term stability, contamination risk, energy balance and life-cycle impacts were not established. Higher titre and productivity do not by themselves demonstrate commercial viability.
Verify the original sources
EnergiesRead the original article↗DOI: 10.3390/en19133185