Pilot Plant Production of Butanol by Fermentation

Abstract

Anaerobic fermentation of molasses (cane and beet) and defatted rice bran by Clostridium acetobutylicum was studied for the production of acetone-butanol-ethanol. The investigation was carried out on both laboratory (3 1) and pilot plant scale fermenters (10, 50, 100 & 250 1) at 320 ± 1C. The optimum level of sugar, ammonium sulphate, calcium carbonate (for pH control) and size of inoculum were determined. The concentration of sugar, for maximum solvents formation, was 6.0 per cent w/v and the amount of solvent produced, 96 hrs after inoculation ranged from 1.8-2.5 per cent (v/v) in the fermented mesh. Effect of the addition of antibiotic such as chloramphenicol and oxytetracycline (40-10 ug/1) on solvent formation was also investigated in order to control viral infection and the growth of lacto bacillus species as contaminant in scale up fermentation (250 1). The average percentage ratio of various solvents such ahs acetone, butanol and ethanol was about 10: 85: 5.