Alcohol production through volatile fatty acids reduction with hydrogen as electron donor by mixed cultures

In this research we demonstrated a new method to produce alcohols. It was experimentally feasible to produce ethanol, propanol and butanol from solely volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with hydrogen as electron donor. In batch tests, VFAs such as acetic, propionic and butyric acids were reduced by mixed microbial cultures with a headspace of 1.5 bar of hydrogen. Observed alcohol concentrations were 3.69 ± 0.25 mM of ethanol, 8.08 ± 0.85 mM of propanol and 3.66 ± 0.05 mM of n-butanol. The conversion efficiency based on the electron balance was 55.1 ± 5.6% with acetate as substrate, 50.3 ± 4.7% with propionate and 46.7 ± 2.2% with n-butyrate. Methane was the most predominant by-product in each batch experiment, 33.6 ± 9.6% of VFA and hydrogen was converted to methane with acetate as substrate; which was 27.1 ± 7.1% with propionate and 36.6 ± 2.2% with n-butyrate. This VFAs reducing renewable fuel production process does not require carbohydrates like fermentable sugars, but uses biomass with high water content or low sugar content that is unsuitable as feedstock for current fermentation processes. This so-called low-grade biomass is abundantly present in many agricultural areas and is economically very attractive feedstock for the production of biofuels.