Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in the production of ethanol and acetate by microbial fermentation, particularly to production of alcohols by microbial fermentation of a substrate comprising CO and the addition of an inorganic sulfur additive. It more particularly relates to the provision of an inorganic organic sulfur source to a fermentation system such that one or more microorganisms convert a substrate comprising CO to ethanol. In one aspect the invention uses a sulfur additive comprising inorganic sulfur compounds having a +2 to a +4 sulfur oxidation state that produces sulfur oxoanions and hydrosulfur oxoanions in an aqueous fermentation medium.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 11, 2012
Date of Patent:
December 15, 2015
Assignee:
COSKATA, LLC
Inventors:
Richard E. Tobey, Toby D. Allen, Peter Martin Lokken, Andrew James Heinen, Gengsheng Chen