Bioconversion of corn stover pyrolysates using a coculture of thermotoga martima and methanococcus jannaschii

The bioconversion of corn stover pyrolysis fractions (pyrolysates) using the hyperthermophiles Thermotoga maritima and Methanococcus jannaschii is evaluated. Pyrolysis involves heating biomass (corn stover) to high temperatures under low oxygenic conditions and results in thermal depolymerization yielding a viscous organic liquid. The produced syrup is a mixture containing sugars including glucose and levoglucosan as well as other compounds and is not yet completely defined. Useful products, e.g., ethanol, hydrogen, and precursor compounds like acetate and lactate, can be obtained from bioconversion using T. maritima. Utilizing natural products to replace a portion of the petroleum based chemicals may help to alleviate some of the stress the chemical process industry places on the environment. It could also be an economic boost for states that are heavily based in agriculture and a means to decrease their need on government subsidies. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting (Austin, TX 11/7-12/2004).