초록 ▼

Ethanol is the major end product of an anaerobic, thermophilic fermentation process using a mutant strain of bacterium Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum. This organism is capable of converting hexose and pentose carbohydrates to ethanol, acetic and lactic acids. Mutants of Clostridium thermosaccharo

Ethanol is the major end product of an anaerobic, thermophilic fermentation process using a mutant strain of bacterium Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum. This organism is capable of converting hexose and pentose carbohydrates to ethanol, acetic and lactic acids. Mutants of Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum are capable of converting these substrates to ethanol in exceptionally high yield and with increased productivity. Both the mutant organism and the technique for its isolation are provided.

대표청구항 ▼

A biologically pure bacterial strain comprising Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum ATCC 31960. A process for preparing and isolating a mutant strain of Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum, said mutant strain being able to ferment hexose and pentose carbohydrates to produce ethanol and acetic acid in gr

A biologically pure bacterial strain comprising Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum ATCC 31960. A process for preparing and isolating a mutant strain of Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum, said mutant strain being able to ferment hexose and pentose carbohydrates to produce ethanol and acetic acid in gram ratios of at least about 8:1, said process comprising the steps of: exposing Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum cells to a mutagenic agent sufficient to effect mutation of said cells; culturing said mutated cells in a growth medium containing minimal carbon sources and pyruvate for a predetermined time period: enriching said growth medium with at least one antibiotic, said antibiotic killing the actively growing cells in said medium without substantially affecting the non-actively growing cells; and isolating a mutant Clostridium thermosaccharolyticium strain from said non-actively growing cells via the inability to utilize pyruvate as a carbon source.