초록
The paper reports the assessment of the growth kinetics of Clostridium acetobutylicum DSM 792 adopting xylose as carbon source. Xylose is the fundamental component of hemicellulose hydrolysis, a relevant fraction of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biofuel production. Tests were carried out in a CSTR operated under controlled pH. The effects of acids (acetic and butyric) and solvents (acetone, ethanol and butanol) on the fermentation were investigated. The conversion process was characterized under steady-state conditions in terms of concentration of xylose, cells, acids, and pH. The growth kinetics was expressed by means of a multiple product inhibition and it was able to predict microorganism growth rate under a broad interval of operating conditions, even those typical of solvents production. The mass fractional yield of biomass and products were expressed as a function of the specific growth rate taking into account the Pirt model.