BACTERIAL CONVERSION OF MOLASSES TO ACETONE AND BUTANOL

In cooperation with the company Copersucar (Brazil), several variants of a fermentation system for the continuous production of butanol and acetone from high-test or invert molasses were developed. These fermentation systems involve a relatively economic batch fermentation requiring little investment, using a continuous culture as the inoculation culture, as well as a modern two-stage continuous culture with cell recycling. For example, 13.3 g·1-1 of solvent (acetone and butanol) are produced with a productivity of 3.3 g·1-1 ·h-1 by two-stage continuous molasses fermentation with cell recycling in the second stage. High-test molasses is converted completely into the products. Butanol and acetone production from molasses is economic in Brazil and the construction of a production plant is planned. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.