Anaerobic Biotechnology

Members of the genus clostridia, such as Clostridum acetobutilicum, were already very early used for the industrial fermentation of acetone and butanol. Due to the availability of cheap fossil Oil these processes were abundant and largely forgotten. Now increasing gas prices make these fermentative processes industrially attractive again. However, in contrast to the early work on the industrial scale solvent fermentation, modern biotechnology and metabolic engineering approaches enable new possibilities in the area of anaerobic fermentation today.

Supported by a generous BMBF grant (BioEnergie 2021) we explore the anaerobic fermentation of 2nd generation biofuels. As feedstock we currently focus on lignocelluloses as renewable resources, but we also examine the use of synthesis gas (comprised of CO2, carbon monoxide) as a possible carbon source for the fermentation of biofuels and bulk chemicals.