PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL
The invention provides a process for the production of an alcohol which comprises cleaving polysaccharides in a cellulosic material in an aqueous medium at a temperature of at least 45° C. using a thermophilic microorganism to yield fermentable sugars, fermenting an aqueous solution of said sugars at a temperature of at least 45° C. with a thermophilic microorganism to yield an alcohol or an alkanoate, if necessary reducing said alkanoate to yield an alcohol, and removing said alcohol from said aqueous solution.
1 . A process for the production of an alcohol which comprises cleaving polysaccharides in a cellulosic material in an aqueous medium at a temperature of at least 45° C. using a thermophilic microorganism to yield fermentable sugars, fermenting an aqueous solution of said sugars at a temperature of at least 45° C. with a thermophilic microorganism to yield an alcohol, and removing said alcohol from said aqueous solution.
2 . A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein cleavage and fermentation is effected at a temperature of at least 60° C.
3 . A process for the production of an alcohol which process comprises fermenting an aqueous solution of fermentable sugars with a microorganism capable of converting said sugars to alcohol in a fermentation vessel at a temperature of 60 to 80° C. under a gaseous atmosphere, and during the fermentation withdrawing gas from said atmosphere into a cooled condenser to cause entrained alcohol to condense out.
4 . A process for the production of an alcohol which process comprises fermenting an aqueous solution of fermentable sugars with a microorganism capable of converting said sugars to alcohol in a fermentation vessel at a temperature of 60 to 80° C. and during the fermentation withdrawing alcohol from said solution.
5 . A process as claimed in claim 1 comprising fermenting a said aqueous solution of fermentable sugars with a microorganism capable of converting said sugars to butanol.
6 . A thermophilic microorganism capable of metabolizing hexoses and/or pentoses to produce ethanol and/or butanol wherein a gene coding for an enzyme operative to convert acetyl-CoA to acetate, to butyryl-CoA or to ethanol or a gene coding for an enzyme operative to convert butyryl-CoA to butyrate is disabled or deleted.
7 . Apparatus for alcohol collection comprising: a fermentation vessel having a heater; a condenser; and a gas conduit from said vessel to said condenser and back to said vessel.
8 . A process as claimed in claim 2 comprising fermenting a said aqueous solution of fermentable sugars with a microorganism capable of converting said sugars to butanol.
9 . A process as claimed in claim 3 comprising fermenting a said aqueous solution of fermentable sugars with a microorganism capable of converting said sugars to butanol.
10 . A process as claimed in claim 4 comprising fermenting a said aqueous solution of fermentable sugars with a microorganism capable of converting said sugars to butanol.