Evaluation of oxalate decarboxylase and oxalate oxidase for industrial applications.

Increased recirculation of process water has given rise to problems with formation of calcium oxalate incrusts (scaling) in the pulp and paper industry and in forest biorefineries. The potential in using oxalate decarboxylase from Aspergillus niger for oxalic acid removal in industrial bleaching plant filtrates containing oxalic acid was examined and compared with barley oxalate oxidase. Ten different filtrates from chemical pulping were selected for the evaluation. Oxalate decarboxylase degraded oxalic acid faster than oxalate oxidase in eight of the filtrates, while oxalate oxidase performed better in one filtrate. One of the filtrates inhibited both enzymes. The potential inhibitory effect of selected compounds on the enzymatic activity was tested. Oxalate decarboxylase was more sensitive than oxalate oxidase to hydrogen peroxide. Oxalate decarboxylase was not as sensitive to chlorate and chlorite as oxalate oxidase. Up to 4 mM chlorate ions, the highest concentration tested, had no inhibitory effect on oxalate decarboxylase. Analysis of the filtrates suggests that high concentrations of chlorate present in some of the filtrates were responsible for the higher sensitivity of oxalate oxidase in these filtrates. Oxalate decarboxylase was thus a better choice than oxalate oxidase for treatment of filtrates from chlorine dioxide bleaching.

Cellulase production from spent lignocellulose hydrolysates by recombinant Aspergillus niger.

A recombinant Aspergillus niger strain expressing the Hypocrea jecorina endoglucanase Cel7B was grown on spent hydrolysates (stillage) from sugarcane bagasse and spruce wood. The spent hydrolysates served as excellent growth media for the Cel7B-producing strain, A. niger D15[egI], which displayed higher endoglucanase activities in the spent hydrolysates than in standard medium with a comparable monosaccharide content (e.g., 2,100 nkat/ml in spent bagasse hydrolysate compared to 480 nkat/ml in standard glucose-based medium). In addition, A. niger D15[egI] was also able to consume or convert other lignocellulose-derived compounds, such as acetic acid, furan aldehydes, and phenolic compounds, which are recognized as inhibitors of yeast during ethanolic fermentation. The results indicate that enzymes can be produced from the stillage stream as a high-value coproduct in second-generation bioethanol plants in a way that also facilitates recirculation of process water.

The potential in bioethanol production from waste fiber sludges in pulp mill-based biorefineries.

Industrial production of bioethanol from fibers that are unusable for pulp production in pulp mills offers an approach to product diversification and more efficient exploitation of the raw material. In an attempt to utilize fibers flowing to the biological waste treatment, selected fiber sludges from three different pulp mills were collected, chemically analyzed, enzymatically hydrolyzed, and fermented for bioethanol production. Another aim was to produce solid residues with higher heat values than those of the original fiber sludges to gain a better fuel for combustion. The glucan content ranged between 32 and 66% of the dry matter. The lignin content varied considerably (1-25%), as did the content of wood extractives (0.2-5.8%). Hydrolysates obtained using enzymatic hydrolysis were found to be readily fermentable using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Hydrolysis resulted in improved heat values compared with corresponding untreated fiber sludges. Oligomeric xylan fragments in the solid residue obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight and their potential as a new product of a pulp mill-based biorefinery is discussed.

Dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of agricultural and agro-industrial residues for ethanol production.

The potential of dilute-acid prehydrolysis as a pretreatment method for sugarcane bagasse, rice hulls, peanut shells, and cassava stalks was investigated. The prehydrolysis was performed at 122 degrees C during 20, 40, or 60 min using 2% H(2)SO(4) at a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. Sugar formation increased with increasing reaction time. Xylose, glucose, arabinose, and galactose were detected in all of the prehydrolysates, whereas mannose was found only in the prehydrolysates of peanut shells and cassava stalks. The hemicelluloses of bagasse were hydrolyzed to a high-extent yielding concentrations of xylose and arabinose of 19.1 and 2.2 g/L, respectively, and a xylan conversion of more than 80%. High-glucose concentrations (26-33.5 g/L) were found in the prehydrolysates of rice hulls, probably because of hydrolysis of starch of grain remains in the hulls. Peanut shells and cassava stalks rendered low amounts of sugars on prehydrolysis, indicating that the conditions were not severe enough to hydrolyze the hemicelluloses in these materials quantitatively. All prehydrolysates were readily fermentable by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The dilute-acid prehydrolysis resulted in a 2.7- to 3.7-fold increase of the enzymatic convertibility of bagasse, but was not efficient for improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of peanut shells, cassava stalks, or rice hulls.

Optimal conditions for alkaline detoxification of dilute-acid lignocellulose hydrolysates.

Alkaline detoxification strongly improves the fermentability of dilute-acid hydrolysates in the production of bioethanol from lignocellulose with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. New experiments were performed with NH4OH and NaOH to define optimal conditions for detoxification and make a comparison with Ca(OH)2 treatment feasible. As too harsh conditions lead to sugar degradation, the detoxification treatments were evaluated through the balanced ethanol yield, which takes both the ethanol production and the loss of fermentable sugars into account. The optimization treatments were performed as factorial experiments with 3-h duration and varying pH and temperature. Optimal conditions were found roughly in an area around pH 9.0/60 degrees C for NH4OH treatment and in a narrow area stretching from pH 9.0/80 degrees C to pH 12.0/30 degrees C for NaOH treatment. By optimizing treatment with NH4OH, NaOH, and Ca(OH)2, it was possible to find conditions that resulted in a fermentability that was equal or better than that of a reference fermentation of a synthetic sugar solution without inhibitors, regardless of the type of alkali used. The considerable difference in the amount of precipitate generated after treatment with different types of alkali appears critical for industrial implementation.

Ammonium hydroxide detoxification of spruce acid hydrolysates.

When dilute-acid hydrolysates from spruce are fermented to produce ethanol, detoxification is required to make the hydrolysates fermentable at reasonable rates. Treatment with alkali, usually by overliming, is one of the most efficient approaches. Several nutrients, such as ammonium and phosphate, are added to the hydrolysates prior to fermentation. We investigated the use of NH4OH for simultaneous detoxification and addition of nitrogen source. Treatment with NH4OH compared favorably with Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, Ba(OH)2, and NaOH to improve fermentability using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of monosaccharides, furan aldehydes, phenols, and aliphatic acids was performed after the different treatments. The NH4OH treatments, performed at pH 10.0, resulted in a substantial decrease in the concentrations of furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural. Under the conditions studied, NH4OH treatments gave better results than Ca(OH)2 treatments. The addition of an extra nitrogen source in the form of NH4Cl at pH 5.5 did not result in any improvement in fermentability that was comparable to NH4OH treatments at alkaline conditions. The addition of CaCl2 or NH4Cl at pH 5.5 after treatment with NH4OH or Ca(OH)2 resulted in poorer fermentability, and the negative effects were attributed to salt stress. The results strongly suggest that the highly positive effects of NH4OH treatments are owing to chemical conversions rather than stimulation of the yeast cells by ammonium ions during the fermentation.

Critical conditions for improved fermentability during overliming of acid hydrolysates from spruce.

Bioethanol can be produced from wood via acid hydrolysis, but detoxification is needed to achieve good fermentability. Overliming was investigated in a factorial designed experiment, in which pH and temperature were varied. Degradation of inhibitory furan aldehydes was more extensive compared to monosaccharides. Too harsh conditions led to massive degradation of sugars and formation of inhibiting acids and phenols. The ethanol productivity and yield after optimal overliming reached levels exceeding reference fermentations of pure glucose. A novel metric, the balanced ethanol yield, which takes both ethanol production and losses of fermentable sugars into account, was introduced and showed the optimal conditions within the investigated range. The findings allow process technical and economical considerations to govern the choice of conditions for overliming.

Selection of anion exchangers for detoxification of dilute-acid hydrolysates from spruce.

Six anion-exchange resins with different properties were compared with respect to detoxification of a dilute-acid hydrolysate of spruce prior to ethanolic fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The six resins encompassed strong and weak functional groups as well as styrene-, phenol-, and acrylic-based matrices. In an analytical experimental series, fractions from columns packed with the different resins were analyzed regarding pH, glucose, furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural, phenolic compounds, levulinic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, and sulfate. An initial adsorption of glucose occurred in the strong alkaline environment and led to glucose accumulation at a later stage. Acetic and levulinic acid passed through the column before formic acid, whereas sulfate had the strongest affinity. In a preparative experimental series, one fraction from each of six columns packed with the different resins was collected for assay of the fermentability and analysis of glucose, mannose, and fermentation inhibitors. The fractions collected from strong anion-exchange resins with styrene-based matrices displayed the best fermentability: a sevenfold enhancement of ethanol productivity compared with untreated hydrolysate. Fractions from a strong anion exchanger with acrylic-based matrix and a weak exchanger with phenol-based resin displayed an intermediate improvement in fermentability, a four- to fivefold increase in ethanol productivity. The fractions from two weak exchangers with styrene- and acrylic-based matrices displayed a twofold increase in ethanol productivity. Phenolic compounds were more efficiently removed by resins with styrene- and phenol-based matrices than by resins with acrylic-based matrices.