System and method for controlling metabolite production in a microbial fermentation
AssigneeLanzatech New Zealand Limited
InventorsSean Dennis Simpson, Michael Koepke, Kathleen Frances Smart, Loan Phuong Tran, Paul Sechrist
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Abstract
A method is provided for controlling a metabolic profile of an anaerobic microbial fermentation culture. In particular, a metabolic profile of a fermentation process is controlled by controlling the amount of dissolved CO2 provided to a culture. Further provided is a method of producing one or more products by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate through feeding tail gas CO2 from a reactor to a second reactor, or by recycling tail gas CO2 to the same reactor.
Claims22
A method for controlling the metabolic profile of a fermentation culture comprising at least one carboxydotrophic acetogenic microorganism, the method comprising:
- a. flowing a gaseous substrate comprising CO and CO2 to a bioreactor comprising a culture of the microorganism in a liquid nutrient medium to produce at least one product derived from acetyl CoA and at least one product derived from pyruvate;
- and
- b. adjusting the amount of CO2 dissolved in the liquid nutrient medium such that the production of at least one product derived from pyruvate is controlled.
A method for producing one or more products by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate, the method comprising:
- a. receiving a gaseous substrate comprising CO in a first bioreactor comprising a culture of at least one carboxydotrophic acetogenic microorganism in a liquid nutrient medium;
- b. fermenting the gaseous substrate comprising CO to produce one or more liquid products and an exit gas comprising CO2;
- c. passing the exit gas comprising CO2 either back to the first bioreactor or to a second bioreactor, wherein said second bioreactor comprises a culture of at least one carboxydotrophic acetogenic microorganism in a liquid nutrient medium;
- and
- d. fermenting the exit gas comprising CO2 in the first or second bioreactor to produce at least one product.
A method for controlling the metabolic profile of a fermentation culture comprising at least one carboxydotrophic acetogenic microorganism, the method comprising;
- a. flowing a gaseous substrate comprising CO to a bioreactor comprising a culture of the microorganism in a liquid nutrient medium to provide a fermentation broth;
- and
- b. increasing a rate of CO oxidation via a ferredoxin dependent carbon monoxide dehydrogenase to increase a level of reduced ferredoxin in the fermentation broth;
- wherein the increased level of reduced ferredoxin increases a rate of pyruvate fermentation from acetyl CoA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.