Dynamic Modeling of Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol Fermentation with Ex Situ Butanol Recovery (ESBR) using Glucose/Xylose Mixtures

This study develops a dynamic model of a continuous acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation process combined with ex situ butanol recovery (termed “ESBR-by-adsorption system”) using a mixed sugar media and recombinant strain. The previously constructed ABE cofermentation kinetic model from fed-batch experiments is extended to the continuous ESBR-by-adsorption system for the purpose of supporting future optimization and control research. Critical fermentation model parameters identified by a sensitivity analysis are fitted to lab-scale experimental data of the ESBR-by-adsorption system using glucose/xylose mixtures. The developed model is validated under various operating conditions, and it is demonstrated that the model can reliably predict the complex dynamics of the ESBR-by-adsorption system including the cofermentation kinetics of glucose and xylose. Using the model, productivity and economics of the continuous biobutanol production are assessed after optimizing the cyclic steady state corresponding...