Effects of various inhibitory substances and immobilization on ethanol production efficiency of a thermotolerant Pichia kudriavzevii

Background Although bioethanol production has been gaining worldwide attention as an alternative to fossil fuel, ethanol productivities and yields are still limited due to the susceptibility of fermentation microorganisms to various stress and inhibitory substances. There is therefore an unmet need to search for multi-stress-tolerant organisms to improve ethanol productivity and reduce production cost, particularly when lignocellulosic hydrolysates are used as the feedstock. Results Here, we have characterized a previously isolated Pichia kudriavzevii LC375240 strain which is thermotolerant to high temperatures of 37 degrees C and 42 degrees C. More excitingly, growth and ethanol productivity of this strain exhibit strong tolerance to multiple stresses such as acetic acid, furfural, formic acid, H2O2 and high concentration of ethanol at 42 degrees C. In addition, simple immobilization of LC375240 on corncobs resulted to a more stable and higher efficient ethanol production for successive four cycles of repeated batch fermentation at 42 degrees C. Conclusion The feature of being thermotolerant and multi-stress-tolerant is unique to P. kudriavzevii LC375240 and makes it a good candidate for second-generation bioethanol fermentation as well as for investigating the molecular basis underlying the robust stress tolerance. Immobilization of P. kudriavzevii LC375240 on corncobs is another option for cheap and high ethanol productivity.