To overcome the xylose utilization defect in ethanol fermentation by wide-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae and alleviate the carbon catabolite repression (CCR) in acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum, a novel mixed fermentation of S. cerevisiae and C. acetobutylicum was developed. When S. cerevisiae was inoculated 24 h earlier than C. acetobutylicum CH02, a higher solvents yield was achieved with 0.41 g/g, compared to 0.38 g/g in ABE fermentation, and when S. cerevisiae and C. acetobutylicum CH02 were inoculated simultaneously, a higher productivity was achieved with 0.32 g/L/h, compared to 0.15 g/L/h in ABE fermentation. The total solvents yield was improved by the high ethanol yield from glucose. The CCR in mixed fermentation was alleviated when glucose was utilized quickly by S. cerevisiae, and therefore, the productivity was improved. This study suggests that mixed fermentation is an effective solvents production method from a mixture of glucose and xylose.
Keywords: ABE fermentation; Carbon catabolite repression; Ethanol fermentation; Mixed fermentation; Mixed sugars.