Cited by 385Catalysis for Biomass ConversionBiofuel production and bioconversionMicrobial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction

Integration of chemical catalysis with extractive fermentation to produce fuels

Anbarasan, Pazhamalai, Baer, Zachary C., Sreekumar, Sanil, Gross, Elad, Binder, Joseph B., Blanch, Harvey W., Clark, Douglas S., Toste, F. Dean·2012·Nature

Abstract

Nearly one hundred years ago, the fermentative production of acetone by Clostridium acetobutylicum provided a crucial alternative source of this solvent for manufacture of the explosive cordite. Today there is a resurgence of interest in solventogenic Clostridium species to produce n-butanol and ethanol for use as renewable alternative transportation fuels. Acetone, a product of acetone-n-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation, harbours a nucleophilic α-carbon, which is amenable to C-C bond formation with the electrophilic alcohols produced in ABE fermentation. This functionality can be used to form higher-molecular-mass hydrocarbons similar to those found in current jet and diesel fuels. Here we describe the integration of biological and chemocatalytic routes to convert ABE fermentation products efficiently into ketones by a palladium-catalysed alkylation. Tuning of the reaction conditions permits the production of either petrol or jet and diesel precursors. Glyceryl tributyrate was used for the in situ selective extraction of both acetone and alcohols to enable the simple integration of ABE fermentation and chemical catalysis, while reducing the energy demand of the overall process. This process provides a means to selectively produce petrol, jet and diesel blend stocks from lignocellulosic and cane sugars at yields near their theoretical maxima.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature11594

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Authors
Anbarasan, P., Baer, Z. C., Sreekumar, S., Gross, E., Binder, J. B., Blanch, H. W., Clark, D. S., & Toste, F. D.
Affiliations
  • Energy Biosciences Institute (US)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
Corresponding author
Toste, F. Dean
Venue
Nature
Published
2012-11-07
Volume
491
Issue
7423
Pages
235-239
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W1995815598
Cited by
385
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 56 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 1
FWCI
14.75
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Catalysis for Biomass Conversion
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Biofuel production and bioconversion
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
Keywords
acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation, ketone production, biofuels, jet fuel precursors, Clostridium acetobutylicum, lignocellulosic biomass, cane sugar, C–C bond formation, renewable transportation fuels
MeSH terms
Acetone, Ethanol, Alkylation, Catalysis, Fermentation, Gasoline, Ketones, Lignin, Models, Chemical, Palladium, Time Factors, Triglycerides, Biomass, 1-Butanol, Saccharum, Clostridium acetobutylicum, Biofuels

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