Gasification and synthesis gas fermentation: an alternative route to biofuel production

Lignocellulosic biomass has been identified among the renewable energy sources to have the highest potential to minimize dependency on dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. Conversion of this biomass to biofuels by microorganisms through direct hydrolysis and fermentation can be challenging. Alternatively, biomass can be converted to synthesis gas (a mixture of CO, CO2, N-2 and H-2) through gasification and transformed to fuels using microbial catalysts that can convert the CO, H-2 and CO2 to fuels such as ethanol, butanol and hydrogen. Biomass gasification-fermentation processing systems have shown promise and companies are now entering the marketplace for commercial-scale ethanol production from synthesis gas. Isolation of new organisms capable of higher product yield, as well as functional implementation of bioreactors that enhance gas solubility for microbial fermentation, make this technology an attractive option for reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.