Ethanol production from wheat flour by Zymomonas mobilis

Abstract

Starch from wheat flour was enzymatically hydrolyzed and used for ethanol production by Zymmonas mobilis. The addition of a nitrogen source like ammonium sulfate was sufficient to obtain a complete fermentation of the hdyrolyzed strach. In batch culture a glucose concentration as high as 223 g/l could be fermented (conversion 99.5%) to 105 g/l of ethanol in 70 h with an ethanol yield of 0.47 g/g (92% of theoretical). In continuous culture the use of a flocculent strain and a fermentor with an internal settler resulted (D=1,4 h⁻¹) in a high ethanol productivity of 70.7 g/l·h with: ethanol concentration 49.5 g/l, ethanol yield 0.50 g/g (98% of theoretical and substrate conversion 99%.