Butanol production of Clostridium pasteurianum SE-5 from transesterification reaction solution using fermentation and extraction coupling system

This study investigates the capability of the Clostridium pasteurianum SE-5 to produce butanol using transesterification reaction solution (TRS) directly, while the crude glyecerol as the sole carbon source and biodiesel as the extractant. The biodiesel: aqueous phase volume ratio (BAPVR) has a significant effect on butanol production. While the BAPVR was adjusted to 1:1, 89.1 g crude glycerol/L was exhausted and 24.6 g butanol/L was produced with more than 50% of the butanol was extracted into the biodiesel. The results suggested that C.pasteurianum SE-5 could produce butanol from TRS directly using fermentation and extraction coupling system.