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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Capacitive Deionization for the Extraction and Recovery of Butyrate

Separation processes underpin chemical manufacturing, energy and fuel production, resource recovery, and water purification. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an electrochemical separation technique based on electrosorption of charged species from an aqueous solution. This work reports the development and application of CDI for the extraction and recovery of butyrate, a carboxylate anion that is key to bioenergy production, among other applications. Electrosorption of sodium butyrate was evaluated using a bench-scale CDI system with activated carbon cloth electrodes. Applying an external potential (1.2 V) enhanced the adsorption capacity of activated carbon for butyrate by 250%. Reversible electrosorption was also demonstrated by extracting and recovering butyrate at 1.2 and 0 V, respectively. Performance metrics including butyrate adsorption and desorption capacities, adsorption and desorption rates, charge efficiency, energy consumption, and recovery are reported. Furthermore, this study also investigates the long-term operational stability of the system by cycling the cell more than 1000 times using 1.2 and 0 V for charging and discharging, respectively. Subsequent physicochemical characterization indicates increased oxygen content (from similar to 2% to >8%), decreased specific surface area (by similar to 20%), and decreased pore volume (by similar to 20%), attributed to carbon oxidation. Overall, this work informs the design of CDI for organic anion separation and recovery.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Adsorption Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Column Breakthrough Data for Aqueous Solutions of Binary-Acid and Ternary-Acid Mixtures of Acetic Acid, Butyric Acid, and Lactic Acid on IRN-78 Ion-Exchange Resin at Initial pH Levels of ∼3–7 and at 25–55 °C

This work is part of an effort to develop thermophysical property data and models supporting adsorptive process development for organic acid separation from a dilute aqueous solution of fermentation broth. It presents systematic experimental measurements for aqueous-phase adsorption equilibrium, kinetics, and column breakthrough for three binary-acid aqueous mixtures (acetic acid + lactic acid, butyric acid + lactic acid, and acetic acid + butyric acid) and one ternary-acid aqueous mixture (acetic acid + butyric acid + lactic acid) on Amberlite IRN-78 ion-exchange resin. The equilibrium measurements covered broad ranges of the initial acid concentration (100–400 mmol/L), initial pH (∼3–7), and temperature (25–55 °C). The equilibrium data for the binary-acid and ternary-acid aqueous mixtures indicate selective adsorption of lactic acid at initial pH levels of ∼3 and 4, while acetic acid and butyric acid are selectively adsorbed at initial pH levels of 5, 6, and 7. The subsequent kinetics and column breakthrough experiments were performed at 200 mmol/L with equimolar ratios, an initial pH of 6, and 25 °C. In conclusion, the measurements provide essential data sets for rigorous thermodynamic modeling and process simulation of adsorptive separation processes for organic acid separation from fermentation broth.

Adsorption↗
DOE OSTI2022

Co‑cultivation of anaerobic fungi with Clostridium acetobutylicum bolsters butyrate and butanol production from cellulose and lignocellulose

A system for co-cultivation of anaerobic fungi with anaerobic bacteria was established based on lactate cross-feeding to produce butyrate and butanol from plant biomass. Several co-culture formulations were assembled that consisted of anaerobic fungi (Anaeromyces robustus, Neocallimastix californiae, or Caecomyces churrovis) with the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum. Co-cultures were grown simultaneously (e.g., ‘one pot’), and compared to cultures where bacteria were cultured in fungal hydrolysate sequentially. Fungal hydrolysis of lignocellulose resulted in 7–11 mM amounts of glucose and xylose, as well as acetate, formate, ethanol, and lactate to support clostridial growth. Under these conditions, one-stage simultaneous co-culture of anaerobic fungi with C. acetobutylicum promoted the production of butyrate up to 30 mM. Alternatively, two-stage growth slightly promoted solventogenesis and elevated butanol levels (∼4–9 mM). Transcriptional regulation in the two-stage growth condition indicated that this cultivation method may decrease the time required to reach solventogenesis and induce the expression of cellulose-degrading genes in C. acetobutylicum due to relieved carbon-catabolite repression. Overall, this study demonstrates a proof of concept for biobutanol and bio-butyrate production from lignocellulose using an anaerobic fungal-bacterial co-culture system.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermodynamic modeling of aqueous acetic acid, butyric acid, and lactic acid solutions

Based on the activity coefficient – fugacity coefficient approach, a rigorous thermodynamic modeling study is presented for accurate correlation of vapor-liquid equilibrium data of aqueous solutions of acetic acid (293 to 391 K), butyric acid (325 to 436 K), lactic acid (378 to 409 K), and acetic acid + butyric acid binary mixture (358 to 421 K). In addition, the pH data of the three aqueous, single carboxylic acid solutions were measured at 298 to 328 K and successfully correlated. Given that these aqueous carboxylic acid solutions exhibit various degrees of association behavior in both vapor and liquid phases, the thermodynamic models considered for this study include the Redlich-Kwong equation of state (RK-EoS) and the Hayden-O’Connell equation of state (HOC-EoS) for the vapor phase fugacity coefficients and the electrolyte non-random two-liquid model (eNRTL) and the association electrolyte non-random two-liquid model (AeNRTL) for the liquid phase activity coefficients. The combination of the HOC-EoS for the vapor phase and the AeNRTL model for the liquid phase is found to provide the best correlation results, consistent with the fact that the HOC-EoS and the AeNRTL model explicitly account for association behaviors in the vapor phase and the liquid phase, respectively.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Process Intensification for the Biological Production of the Fuel Precursor Butyric Acid from Biomass

The production of fuels from lignocellulosic biomass is key to reduce our reliance on petroleum and to promote a sustainable bioeconomy. Butyric acid (BA) is a promising chemical precursor for the production of renewable diesel and jet fuels. BA can be biologically produced from lignocellulosic sugars. However, challenges associated with product selectivity and recovery must be overcome to achieve industrially relevant metrics. Here, we evaluate various fermentation configurations and demonstrate near-homo-butyrate production by using the biocatalyst Clostridium tyrobutyricum. We also develop an advanced in situ product recovery process based on hybrid extraction-distillation (HED-ISPR) and conduct techno-economic analyses and life cycle assessments. We demonstrate that the HED-ISPR process lowers the overall capital and operating expenses and environmental impact compared to other traditional fermentation processes. Overall, BA minimum product selling price from biomass is 55% of the current BA selling price from petroleum, a significant decrease toward viable renewable fuel production.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Butyric Acid Production from Delignified Corn Stover Using Thermophilic Bacterial Co-Cultures

Butyric acid (BA) is a valuable platform chemical in the food and pharmaceutical industries, and it is also a potential precursor for the production of biobutanol and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). BA is mainly synthesized from petroleum; thus, cost-effective, and sustainable alternatives for its production are attracting the interest of several sectors. The present work proposes a solids-to-acids bioprocess to produce BA from corn stover utilizing a co-culture that consists of two thermophilic bacteria, Clostridium thermocellum, a well-known efficient degrader of insoluble and oligomeric cellulosic substrates, and Clostridium thermobutyricum, a highly efficient BA producer from monomeric sugars. After initial proof of concept experiments, a series of optimization studies were carried out to evaluate the process limits of this co-culture. First, the co-cultivation of both microorganisms at different inoculum sizes in deacetylated and mechanically refined corn stover (DMR) was evaluated. No significant differences were found on the solids deconstruction and carbohydrates utilization among all the treatments. In addition, BA production was similar under all conditions, ranging between 2.1 and 2.4 g/L. Next, the deconstruction, and BA production capabilities of the co-culture at increased DMR solids contents (3, 4.5, and 6% (w/v)) were tested. Although no difference was observed in the solids deconstruction and carbohydrates utilization among treatments, BA production increased concomitantly to solids loading; the maximum values observed were 2.8, 3.6, and 6.2 g/L in the 3, 4.5, and 6% treatments, respectively. In fact, BA production did not reach its absolute maximum in the 6% treatment after 160 h of fermentation. Lastly, a fed-batch experiment was performed to investigate the co-culture capabilities and possible system constraints to achieve higher BA titers. Data on substrate modifications and product formation as well as on the growth of each microorganism will be shown. Results from this work demonstrate a promising bioprocess approach for the production of BA from lignocellulosic biomass using a thermophilic bacterial co-culture.

bacteria↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dietary Sodium Butyrate Supplementation Attenuates the Detrimental Effects of High-Fat Diets on Growth Performance, Liver Health, and Disease Resistance in Grass Carp

Abstract An 8-week experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (NaBT) inclusion in high-fat (HF) diets on growth performance, liver health, and disease resistance in Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella. Three diets (Control diet containing crude lipid at 58 g/kg, HF diet with 108-g/kg crude lipid, and NaBT diet with 108-g/kg crude lipid and 1-g/kg NaBT) were randomly assigned to nine tanks with 30 fish (9.50 ± 0.06 g) in each tank. After the feeding trial, disease resistance was assessed by injecting the fish with Aeromonas hydrophila. Compared to the Control diet group, the HF diet group showed lower specific growth rate, feed efficiency, and survival rate (15.7%) after the A. hydrophila challenge; significantly higher activity levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in plasma; higher malondialdehyde content; higher messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of interleukin-8, cysteinyl aspartate specific protease (caspase) 9, and caspase 3; lower activity level of glutathione peroxidase; and lower mRNA expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 in liver. However, the NaBT diet significantly increased fish growth performance and survival rate (39.7%) after the A. hydrophila challenge and reduced hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis compared to the HF diet. In conclusion, NaBT can ameliorate the detrimental effects of HF diets on fish growth performance and fish health.

Gao, Shiyang↗
DOE OSTI2024

Adsorption Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Column Breakthrough Data of Acetic Acid, Butyric Acid, and Lactic Acid on IRN-78 Ion-exchange Resin at Initial pH ~3 – 7 and Temperature 25 – 55 °C

This work presents systematic aqueous-phase adsorption equilibrium, kinetics, and column breakthrough measurements with three key biointermediates that are common compounds in many bioprocesses. Adsorption equilibrium experiments were carried out with acetic acid, butyric acid, and lactic acid on a commercial ion-exchange resin, Amberlite IRN-78, at wide ranges of acid concentration (8-500 mmol/L), initial pH (similar to 3-7), and temperature (25-55 degrees C), simulating the effluent characteristics from different fermenter operations. The kinetics and column breakthrough experiments were conducted at an initial pH of 6 and a concentration of 200 mmol/L. The equilibrium study shows a higher loading at the initial pH < pK(a) and a lower loading at the initial pH > pK(a). Overall removal varies between 16 and 99% depending on the initial pH, temperature, and organic acid concentration and type. The study further indicates monolayer adsorption at the equilibrium pH > 10 and multilayer adsorption at the equilibrium pH < 6. The thermodynamic modeling of adsorption isotherm data was carried out using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. IRN-78 presents fast adsorption kinetics as the maximum loading was attained in <= 10 min and nearly the same breakthrough time for all three organic acids involved in this study.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Engineering Yeast for the Production of Acids and Esters (CRADA Final Report)

NREL and Lygos have a mutual interest in engineering yeast for the production of acids and esters as intermediates towards fuels or bioproducts. In particular, the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii is a fantastic candidate for the production of acid and ester based products including butyric acid and ethyl butyrate. However, the strain is relatively uncommon in the biotechnological space and as such there are not an abundant amount of genetic tools that are publically available. However, Lygos has been working with this species in particular for several years and has developed genetic tools and physiological characteristics and are well versed in engineering this strain for acid based products. While currently focusing on malonic acid-derived products, Lygos is not currently targeting butyric acid and ethyl butyrate but have a long term interest in these molecules and derivatives therein. This CRADA proposal seeks to leverage NREL’s immediate focus on butyric acid and ethyl butyrate, and general bioprocess expertise with Lygos’ specific knowledge on engineering P. kudriavzevii for the production of acid-based products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Controlling selectivity of modular microbial biosynthesis of butyryl-CoA-derived designer esters

Short-chain esters have broad utility as flavors, fragrances, solvents, and biofuels. Controlling selectivity of ester microbial biosynthesis has been an outstanding metabolic engineering problem. In this study, we enabled the de novo fermentative microbial biosynthesis of butyryl-CoA-derived designer esters (e.g., butyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, butyl butyrate) in Escherichia coli with controllable selectivity. Using the modular design principles, we generated the butyryl-CoA-derived ester pathways as exchangeable production modules compatible with an engineered chassis cell for anaerobic production of designer esters. We designed these modules derived from an acyl-CoA submodule (e.g., acetyl-CoA, butyryl-CoA), an alcohol submodule (e.g., ethanol, butanol), a cofactor regeneration submodule (e.g., NADH), and an alcohol acetyltransferase (AAT) submodule (e.g., ATF1, SAAT) for rapid module construction and optimization by manipulating replication (e.g., plasmid copy number), transcription (e.g., promoters), translation (e.g., codon optimization), pathway enzymes, and pathway induction conditions. To further enhance production of designer esters with high selectivity, we systematically screened various strategies of protein solubilization using protein fusion tags and chaperones to improve the soluble expression of multiple pathway enzymes. Finally, our engineered ester-producing strains could achieve 19-fold increase in butyl acetate production (0.64 g/L, 96% selectivity), 6-fold increase in ethyl butyrate production (0.41 g/L, 86% selectivity), and 13-fold increase in butyl butyrate production (0.45 g/L, 54% selectivity) as compared to the initial strains. Altogether, this study presented a generalizable framework to engineer modular microbial platforms for anaerobic production of butyryl-CoA-derived designer esters from renewable feedstocks.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Long‐term drench of exopolysaccharide from Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides XG5 protects against type 1 diabetes of NOD mice via stimulating GLP ‐1 secretion

Abstract BACKGROUND Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that results in the specific destruction of insulin‐producing beta cells in the pancreas. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of exopolysaccharide from Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides XG5 (XG5 EPS) against type 1 diabetes. RESULTS Long‐term drench of XG5 EPS delayed the onset of autoimmune diabetes and had fewer islets with high‐grade infiltration (an insulitis score of 3 or 4) than untreated NOD mice. Oral administration of 50 mg kg −1 d −1 XG5 EPS increased the insulin and glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) levels of serum, stimulated GLP‐1 secretion and upregulated gcg mRNA expression of colon in NOD mice. Moreover, oral administration of 50 mg kg −1 d −1 XG5 EPS significantly increased total short‐chain fatty acids levels in the colon contents, especially those of acetic acid and butyric acid. In NCI‐H716 cells, 500 and 1000 μmol L −1 sodium butyrate promoted the secretion of GLP‐1 and upregulated the mRNA expression of gcg and PC3 , while XG5 EPS and sodium acetate did not stimulate the GLP‐1 secretion. Therefore, long‐term drench of XG5 EPS delayed the onset of autoimmune diabetes, which may be directly correlated with the increase of butyrate in the colon of NOD mice. CONCLUSION Long‐term drench of 50 mg kg −1 d −1 XG5 EPS promoted the expression and secretion of GLP‐1 by increasing the production of butyric acid, thereby delaying T1D onset in NOD mice. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pan, Lei↗
DOE OSTI2022

Establishing Butyribacterium methylotrophicum as a Platform Organism for the Production of Biocommodities from Liquid C 1 Metabolites

Using the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, acetogens can nonphotosynthetically fix gaseous C 1 molecules, preventing them from entering the atmosphere. Many acetogens can also grow on liquid C 1 compounds such as formate and methanol, which avoid the storage and mass transfer issues associated with gaseous C 1 compounds. Substrate redox state also plays an important role in acetogen metabolism and can modulate products formed by these organisms. Butyribacterium methylotrophicum is an acetogen known for its ability to synthesize longer-chained molecules such as butyrate and butanol, which have significantly higher values than acetate or ethanol, from one-carbon (C 1 ) compounds. We explored B. methylotrophicum’s C 1 metabolism by varying substrates, substrate concentrations, and substrate feeding strategies to improve four-carbon product titers. Our results showed that formate utilization by B. methylotrophicum favored acetate production and methanol utilization favored butyrate production. Cofeeding of both substrates produced a high butyrate titer of 4 g/liter when methanol was supplied in excess to formate. Testing of formate feeding strategies, in the presence of methanol, led to further increases in the butyrate to acetate ratio. Mixotrophic growth of liquid and gaseous C 1 substrates expanded the B. methylotrophicum product profile, as ethanol, butanol, and lactate were produced under these conditions. We also showed that B. methylotrophicum is capable of producing caproate, a six-carbon product, presumably through chain elongation cycles of the reverse β-oxidation pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated butanol production via heterologous gene expression. Finally, our results indicate that both selection of appropriate substrates and genetic engineering play important roles in determining titers of desired products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Polysaccharide utilization loci in Bacteroides determine population fitness and community-level interactions

Polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) are co-regulated bacterial genes that sense nutrients and enable glycan digestion. Human gut microbiome members, notably Bacteroides, contain numerous PULs that enable glycan utilization and shape ecological dynamics. To investigate the role of PULs on fitness and inter-species interactions, we develop a CRISPR-based genome editing tool to study 23 PULs in Bacteroides uniformis (BU). BU PULs show distinct glycan-degrading functions and transcriptional coordination that enables the population to adapt upon loss of other PULs. Exploiting a BU mutant barcoding strategy, we demonstrate that in vitro fitness and BU colonization in the murine gut are enhanced by deletion of specific PULs and modulated by glycan availability. PULs mediate glycan-dependent interactions with butyrate producers that depend on the degradation mechanism and glycan utilization ability of the butyrate producer. Thus, PULs determine community dynamics and butyrate production and provide a selective advantage or disadvantage depending on the nutritional landscape.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Short Chain Fatty Acids and Bacterial Taxa Associated with Reduced Salmonella enterica serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- Shedding in Swine Fed a Diet Supplemented with Resistant Potato Starch

Salmonella enterica serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- is a foodborne pathogen of concern because many isolates are multidrug-resistant (resistant to ≥3 antimicrobial classes) and metal tolerant. In this study, three in-feed additives were individually tested for their ability to reduce Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- shedding in swine: resistant potato starch (RPS), high amylose corn starch, and a fatty acid blend, compared with a standard control diet over 21 days. Only RPS-fed pigs exhibited a reduction in Salmonella fecal shedding, different bacterial community compositions, and different cecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles relative to control animals. Within the RPS treatment group, pigs shedding the least Salmonella tended to have greater cecal concentrations of butyrate, valerate, caproate, and succinate. Additionally, among RPS-fed pigs, several bacterial taxa (Prevotella_7, Olsenella, and Bifidobacterium, and others) exhibited negative relationships between their abundances of and the amount of Salmonella in the feces of their hosts. Many of these same taxa also had significant positive associations with cecal concentrations of butyrate, valerate, caproate, even though they are not known to produce these SCFAs. Together, these data suggest the RPS-associated reduction in Salmonella shedding may be dependent on the establishment of bacterial cross feeding interactions that result in the production of certain SCFAs. However, directly feeding a fatty acid mix did not replicate the effect. RPS supplementation could be an effective means to reduce multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. enterica serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- in swine, provided appropriate bacterial communities are present in the gut.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Degradation in Photovoltaic Encapsulant Transmittance: Results of the Second PVQAT TG5 Artificial Weathering Study

The optical degradation of encapsulants from ultraviolet (UV) radiation has historically resulted in a significant loss in performance throughout the life of a photovoltaic (PV) module. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) test methods have recently been developed to screen for PV encapsulants prone to loss in optical performance. The present study was performed to benchmark polymeric packaging materials relative to IEC 62788-1-4 (covering the measurement of optical transmittance) and IEC 62788-1-7 (on the durability of transmittance), provide feedback toward improvement of the methods, and develop insight regarding optical degradation. Contemporary materials were examined, including poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), polyolefin elastomer (POE), and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) encapsulants; a poly(ethene-co-tetrafluoroethene)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (ETFE/PET) transparent backsheet; and a polystyrene (PS) working reference material. The use of silica-, specialty-, and rolled-glass was also compared in laminated coupons. Specimen size was separately examined from 2.5 to 12.5 cm. Weathering was performed with a xenon source, using IEC TS 62788-7-2 methods A2, A3, A4, and A5 (chamber temperature of 55 degrees C, 65 degrees C, 75 degrees C, or 85 degrees C), respectively. Characterizations were made using a UV-visible-near-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) spectrophotometer (transmittance and reflectance, with and without an integrating sphere), a UV-VIS fluorescence spectrophotometer, a camera, and an optical microscope. Performance was analyzed, including solar weighted transmittance, yellowness index, UV cut-off wavelength, and haze (scattering). Separate Arrhenius analyses were performed to assess retention of transmittance and changes in yellowness index. The activation energy for both characteristics was found to range from 15-80 kJ mol-1, with an average of 48 kJ mol-1, similar to the average of 45 kJ mol-1 identified in the previous international PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Task Group 5 (TG5) study of more traditional encapsulants. The separate degradation modes of discoloration and scattering were distinguished in the encapsulants using a comprehensive spectral characterization. Based on these results, the IEC 62788-1-7 pass/fail criteria of 5% change in transmittance was confirmed to identify a known bad encapsulant.

durability↗