Polycationic Surfaces Promote Whole-Cell Immobilization and Induce Microgranulation of Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 for Enhanced Biobutanol Production

Pablo Jiménez-Bonilla; Jie Zhang; Yifen Wang; David Blersch; Luz Estela de-Bashan; Liang Guo; Xiao Li; Dunhua Zhang; Yi Wang

doi:10.1021/acsami.2c14888

Polycationic Surfaces Promote Whole-Cell Immobilization and Induce Microgranulation of Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 for Enhanced Biobutanol Production

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Oct 25. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c14888. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Pablo Jiménez-Bonilla^{1

2}, Jie Zhang¹, Yifen Wang^{1

3}, David Blersch¹, Luz Estela de-Bashan^{4

5

6}, Liang Guo⁷, Xiao Li⁸, Dunhua Zhang⁹, Yi Wang^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biosystems Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States.
² Universidad Nacional (UNA), Campus Omar Dengo, Heredia83-3000, Costa Rica.
³ Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States.
⁴ Environmental Microbiology Group, Northwestern Center for Biological Research (CIBNOR), Av. IPN 195, La Paz, B.C.S.23096, Mexico.
⁵ The Bashan Institute of Science, 1730 Post Oak Court, Auburn, Alabama36830, United States.
⁶ Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States.
⁷ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao266100, China.
⁸ Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States.
⁹ Aquatic Animal Health Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, 990 Wire Road, Auburn, Alabama36832, United States.

PMID: 36282625
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c14888

Abstract

Immobilization is a common strategy used to protect microbial cells to improve the performance of bioprocesses. However, the interaction mechanism between the cells and the immobilization material is generally poorly understood. In this study, we employed natural polysaccharide-based materials as immobilization carriers for clostridial fermentation in an attempt to enhance the production of butanol (a valuable biofuel/biochemical but highly toxic to the host cells) and meanwhile elucidate the interaction mechanisms related to immobilization. The utilization of chitosan powder as the immobilization carrier enhanced butanol productivity by 97% in the fermentation with Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 and improved butanol titer by 21% in the fermentation with Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. Additionally, analogue derivatives using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and cotton cationized on the surface with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrymethylammonium (CHPTA) and 2-chloro-N,N-diethylaminoethyl chloride (DEAEC) were prepared and used as immobilization carriers for similar fermentation conditions. The CHPTA derivatives showed slightly increased production of butanol and total solvent with C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum. Overall, our results indicated that the interaction between the cell and the carrier material occurs through a double mechanism involving adsorption immobilization and induced aggregation. This work provides insights concerning the effects of the chemical properties of the carrier material (such as the cation density and surface area) on fermentation performance, enabling a better understanding of the interaction between bacterial cells and the cationic materials. The derivatization strategies employed in this study can be applied to most cellulosic materials to modulate the properties and enhance the interaction between the cell and the carrier material for immobilization, thus improving the bioprocess performance.

Keywords: Clostridium; acetone−butanol−ethanol (ABE); butanol; granulation; immobilization.