Process for controlling fermentation of co-containing substrates

1. A process for controlling fermentation of a CO-containing substrate, the process comprising:

providing the CO-containing substrate to a fermentation and fermenting the CO-containing substrate with acetogenic bacteria; and

monitoring nutrient concentration in a fermentation medium using a technique selected from the group consisting of ion chromatography, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, ion-selective electrodes, flame photometry, flame ionization atomic absorption and combinations thereof,

wherein the nutrient being monitored are K, PO 4 −3 , Mg and mixtures thereof,

wherein the fermentation medium includes a first and a second nutrient containing medium and the monitoring step comprising providing the first medium to the fermentation at a rate effective for maintaining a potassium concentration in the medium of about 20 to about 200 mg/L until reaching a target cell density of about 2 to about 30 g/L and providing the first medium to the fermentation at a rate effective for maintaining a potassium concentration in the medium of about 20 to about 160 mg/L after reaching the target cell density.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the technique used to monitor nutrient concentration is ion chromatography.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the second medium is provided to the fermentation at a rate effective for maintaining a volumetric flow rate ratio of the first medium to the second medium of about 15:1 to about 2:1.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the first medium includes elements selected from the group consisting of K, Mg, Fe, PO 4 −3 , Zn, Co, Ni and mixtures thereof.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the second medium includes elements selected from the group consisting of W, Se and mixtures thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the CO-containing substrate has a CO/CO 2 molar ratio of at least about 0.75.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the CO-containing substrate has about 20 to about 100 mole % CO.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein a pH of the fermentation medium is maintained at level of about 3.5 to about 5.0.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the pH is maintained with addition of ammonium hydroxide.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a concentration of H 2 S in fermentation off-gas in a range of about 20 to about 500 ppm H 2 S.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein a concentration of about 20 to about 500 ppm H 2 S in the fermentation off-gas is maintained by adding NaHS to the fermentation medium.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein the acetogenic bacteria is selected from the group consisting of Acetogenium kivui, Acetoanaerobium noterae, Acetobacterium woodii, Alkalibaculum bacchi CP11 (ATCC BAA-1772), Blautia producta, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum, Caldanaerobacter subterraneous, Caldanaerobacter subterraneous pacificus, Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans, Clostridium aceticum, Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium acetobutylicum P262 (DSM 19630 of DSMZ Germany), Clostridium autoethanogenum (DSM 19630 of DSMZ Germany), Clostridium autoethanogenum (DSM 10061 of DSMZ Germany), Clostridium autoethanogenum (DSM 23693 of DSMZ Germany), Clostridium autoethanogenum (DSM 24138 of DSMZ Germany), Clostridium carboxidivorans P7 (ATCC PTA-7827), Clostridium coskatii (ATCC PTA-10522), Clostridium drakei, Clostridium ljungdahlii PETC (ATCC 49587), Clostridium ljungdahlii ERI2 (ATCC 55380), Clostridium ljungdahlii C-01 (ATCC 55988), Clostridium ljungdahlii O-52 (ATCC 55889), Clostridium magnum, Clostridium pasteurianum (DSM 525 of DSMZ Germany), Clostridium ragsdali P11 (ATCC BAA-622), Clostridium scatologenes, Clostridium thermoaceticum, Clostridium ultunense, Desulfotomaculum kuznetsovii, Eubacterium limosum, Geobacter sulfurreducens, Methanosarcina acetivorans, Methanosarcina barkeri, Morrella thermoacetica, Morrella thermoautotrophica, Oxobacter pfennigii, Peptostreptococcus productus, Ruminococcus productus, Thermoanaerobacter kivui , and mixtures thereof.