Biochemical Aspects of Syngas Fermentation

In the current scenario, the world is facing a shortage of fuels, and in the future, the existing reservoirs of fuels will be exhausted; this challenging situation could be solved by the method of syngas fermentation. Syngas is a mixed composition of gases including carbon monoxide, hydrogen and a lesser amount of carbon dioxide. Mostly, syngas synthesis is performed by acetogenic bacteria. These bacteria utilizes the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway for fermentation to take place. Syngas fermentation of waste biomass has led to the development of biofuels rich in energy and valuable chemicals. Biomass used as a substrate includes municipal waste, crops, chemical wastes, coal, lignin, natural gas and wood. Firstly, biomass gets transformed into carbon dioxide and hydrogen via gasification, these products formed act as substrate for syngas fermentation which is utilized by acetogenic bacteria to produce hydrocarbon-rich compounds. Bacteria used are genetically modified and the reactors are optimized for the scale-up studies for maximizing the yield. This chapter covered the important biochemical aspects of syngas fermentation and advantages, biochemical pathway and the microorganisms involved in syngas fermentation. The type of bioreactors used for syngas production, challenges faced during syngas fermentation and future perspectives have been included.