Abstract
Multiple factors play a role in the direct microbial conversion of biomass. Particle size has been shown to play a significant role in achieving efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass with free cellulase systems. In this study, the direct microbial conversion performance of Clostridium thermocellum is evaluated utilizing hot water extracted poplar sized by sieving to particles ranging between 63 μm to 6 mm, using conditions which maintain the chemical composition. Culture carbon:nitrogen ratios and dry weights were used to differentiate the contribution of microbial mass from residual poplar mass. This work shows that for poplar, the substrate particle size influences the overall biomass conversion by C. thermocellum, with particles sized between 63 μm and 250 μm displaying the greatest conversion (50%). Moreover, the complex nature of biomass (i.e., chemical composition, structure, porosity, etc.) appears to play a greater role than particle size in influencing the overall potential for microbial conversion.
Original language | American English |
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Title of host publication | Direct Microbial Conversion of Biomass to Advanced Biofuels |
Editors | M. E. Himmel |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 307-319 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780444595928 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/CH-2700-63349
Keywords
- Clostridium thermocellum
- Direct microbial conversion
- DMC
- Particle size
- Poplar