Abstract: Provided are methods, systems, and compositions for increasing the rate and/or yield of fermentation processes using blended feedstocks. Also provided are methods, systems, and compositions for decreasing the yield of one or more undesirable products during fermentation.

Abstract: The invention relates to methods of capturing carbon by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate comprising CO. The methods of the invention include converting CO to one or more products including alcohols and/or acids and optionally capturing CO2 to improve overall carbon capture. In certain aspects, the invention relates to processes for producing alcohols, particularly ethanol, from industrial waste streams, particularly steel mill off-gas.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a process for producing isoprenoid precursor molecules and/or isoprenoids from a starch substrate by saccharification and/or fermentation. The saccharification is effectively catalyzed by a glucoamylase at a pH in the range of 5.0 to 8.0. At a pH of 6.0 or above, the glucoamylase possesses at least 50% activity relative to its maximum activity. The saccharification and fermentation may be performed as a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for the preparation of carbamic acid (R)-1-aryl-2-tetrazolyl-ethyl ester, comprising the asymmetric reduction of arylketone and the carbamation of alcohol.

Abstract: Biomass feedstocks (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, to produce a product or intermediate, e.g., energy, a food, a fuel, or a material.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to renewable compositions derived from fermentation of biomass, and integrated methods of preparing such compositions.

Abstract: In an alcohol fermentation process, oil derived from biomass is hydrolyzed into an extractant available for in situ removal of a product alcohol such as butanol from a fermentation broth. The glycerides in the oil can be catalytically (e.g., enzymatically) hydrolyzed into free fatty acids, which form a fermentation product extractant having a partition coefficient for a product alcohol greater than a partition coefficient of the oil of the biomass for the product alcohol. Oil derived from a feedstock of an alcohol fermentation process can be hydrolyzed by contacting the feedstock including the oil with one or more enzymes whereby at least a portion of the oil is hydrolyzed into free fatty acids forming a fermentation product extractant, or the oil can be separated from the feedstock prior to the feedstock being fed to a fermentation vessel, and the separated oil can be contacted with the enzymes to form the fermentation product extractant.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the removal of contaminants from a liquid culture microalgae and/or cyanobacteria comprise an let tube, a pump, a gas injector, a vertical chamber, and/or a collection container that promotes the production of foam in the microalgae culture, wherein the foam contains the contaminants.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions comprising: a polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity and a heterocyclic compound. The present invention also relates to methods of using the compositions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of producing alcohol esters during a fermentation by providing alcohol-producing microorganisms which further comprise an engineered polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having lipase activity.

Abstract: Method for processing a lignocellulosic biomass material, comprising (a) a pretreatment process, in which the biomass is prepared for enzymatic hydrolysis, and (b) a subsequent hydrolysis process, in which the pretreated biomass is subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis of its cellulosic components to convert them into sugars, wherein the pretreatment process (a) is carried out in the presence of a tertiary polyamide additive. The additive may be used to improve the efficiency of the hydrolysis process (b). Also provided are processes for the production of a fermentation product from lignocellulosic biomass, and/or for the production of a biofuel or biofuel component.

Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of ammonia and optionally an additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin without loss of hemicellulose. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for the conversion of biomass into a biomass product which is suitable for use as a fuel. The biomass is of plant origin and comprises microorganisms naturally occurring in the biomass. The process comprises—preparing a slurry by dispersing the biomass comprising the naturally occurring microorganisms in an aqueous liquid, maintaining the slurry at conditions suitable for aerobic digestion by the microorganisms to obtain a slurry comprising the biomass product as a dispersed solid phase, and—recovering the biomass product. The recovering comprises washing and drying the biomass product. The invention also provides a combustion process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the conversion of a lignocellulosic feedstock involving acid pretreatment. The process comprises the steps of treating the lignocellulosic feedstock with alkali at a pH of between about 8.0 and about 12.0 so as to dissolve acetyl groups present on said lignocellulosic feedstock, while converting less than about 10% of the xylan present in the lignocellulosic feedstock to xylose and less than about 10% of the cellulose to glucose, thereby producing an alkali conditioned feedstock. The alkali conditioned feedstock is then pretreated at a temperature of about 160° C. to about 250° C., at a pH of about 0.5 to about 2.5 for about 0.5 to about 10 minutes so as to hydrolyze about 80 to 100% of the xylan and about 3 to about 15% of the cellulose to produce an acid pretreated feedstock comprising cellulose. The cellulose in the pretreated feedstock can be hydrolyzed to glucose with cellulase and the glucose can be fermented to produce a fermentation product.

Abstract: Present-day harvest methods for sweet sorghum are labor intensive, and/or require that large quantities of matter be removed to a central location for processing. A field harvesting process for harvesting and further processing sweet sorghum includes cutting the crop and reducing it to its separated juice and solids in the field. Separation is carried out using a roller press that is water-washed with water removed from the juices in a nanofiltration process. The juice is stored and fermented on the farm, followed by distillation by a mobile distillation process to separate the valuable alcohol from the stillage.

Abstract: The invention features isolated cytochrome P450 polypeptides and nucleic acid molecules, as well as expression vectors and transgenic plants containing these molecules. In addition, the invention features uses of such molecules in methods of increasing the level of resistance against a disease caused by a plant pathogen in a transgenic plant, in methods for producing altered compounds, for example, hydroxylated compounds, and in methods of producing isoprenoid compounds.

Abstract: A saccharide-solution production method using a biomass material, including feeding a biomass material containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin under a normal pressure to put it under an increased pressure; hydrothermally decomposing the biomass material using pressurized hot water by a hydrothermal decomposition unit; and dissolving a lignin component and a hemicellulose component in the pressurized hot water; thereafter, adding a biomass solid discharged from the hydrothermal decomposition unit to a slurrying vessel containing water injected therein and communicating with the hydrothermal decomposition unit so as to obtain a slurried biomass solid; then, removing water from the slurried biomass solid; and thereafter, performing enzymatic saccharification of the water-removed biomass solid to produce a saccharide solution.

Abstract: A method for utilizing cultivated plant biomass components, namely cellulose, hemicellose, and lignin, and converting them to value-added biobased chemical products is described herein. The present method provides treatments to obtain a plurality of component streams from cultivated plant biomass for producing derivative products while minimizing waste products.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process of fermenting a hydrolysed pre-treated lignocellulose-containing material to produce a fermentation product.

Abstract: This invention is directed to methods of obtaining a high quantity of desired acid salt in a form that is relatively easy to recover. Particularly desired as a recovery product is an organic acid. A salt form of the desired organic acid is formed that is relatively high in concentration and that is relatively soluble in an aqueous medium. The method includes a step of fermenting a fermentable carbon source in the fermentation medium in the presence of a magnesium compound containing oxygen.

Abstract: A process for producing ethanol including a combination of biochemical and synthetic conversions results in high yield ethanol production with concurrent production of high value coproducts. An acetic acid intermediate is produced from carbohydrates, such as corn, using enzymatic milling and fermentation steps, followed by conversion of the acetic acid into ethanol using esterification and hydrogenation reactions. Coproducts can include corn oil, and high protein animal feed containing the biomass produced in the fermentation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for increasing hydrolysis of a cellulosic material, comprising: hydrolyzing the cellulosic material with an enzyme composition in the presence of a polypeptide having peroxidase activity.

Abstract: (3S,5R)-3,8-dimethyl-5-(prop-1-en-2-yl)-octahydroazulen-1-ols, their use as flavour or fragrance ingredient, and a process of their production by oxidation in the presence of laccase.

Abstract: This invention is metabolically engineer bacterial strains that provide increased intracellular NADPH availability for the purpose of increasing the yield and productivity of NADPH-dependent compounds. In the invention, native NAD-dependent GAPDH is replaced with NADP-dependent GAPDH plus overexpressed NADK. Uses for the bacteria are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides fungal proteases and improved fungal strains that are deficient in protease production.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a novel NAD+-independent myo-inositol 2-dehydrogenase which converts myo-inositol into scyllo-inosose in the absence of NAD+; a novel enzyme scyllo-inositol dehydrogenase which stereospecifically reduces scyllo-inosose into scyllo-inositol in the presence of NADH or NADPH; and a novel microorganism which belongs to the genus Acetobacter or Burkholderia and can convert myo-inositol into scyllo-inositol. By using these enzymes or the microorganism, scyllo-inositol is produced. Furthermore, scyllo-inositol is purified by adding boric acid and a metal salt to a liquid mixture containing scyllo-inositol and a neutral saccharide other than scyllo-inositol to form a scyllo-inositol/boric acid complex, separating the complex from the liquid mixture, dissolving the thus separated complex in an acid to give an acidic solution or an acidic suspension and then purifying scyllo-inositol from the acidic solution or the acidic suspension.

Abstract: In an alcohol fermentation process, oil derived from biomass is hydrolyzed into an extractant available for in situ removal of a product alcohol such as butanol from a fermentation broth. The glycerides in the oil can be catalytically (e.g., enzymatically) hydrolyzed into free fatty acids, which form a fermentation product extractant having a partition coefficient for a product alcohol greater than a partition coefficient of the oil of the biomass for the product alcohol. Oil derived from a feedstock of an alcohol fermentation process can be hydrolyzed by contacting the feedstock including the oil with one or more enzymes whereby at least a portion of the oil is hydrolyzed into free fatty acids forming a fermentation product extractant, or the oil can be separated from the feedstock prior to the feedstock being fed to a fermentation vessel, and the separated oil can be contacted with the enzymes to form the fermentation product extractant.

Abstract: The present invention provides isolated or genetically modified strains of microorganisms that display enhanced resistance to acetate as a result of increased expression of a sodium proton antiporter. The present invention also provides methods for producing such microbial strains, as well as related promoter sequences and expression vectors. Further, the present invention provides methods of producing alcohol from biomass materials by using microorganisms with enhanced resistance to acetate.

Abstract: A process for the production of carbohydrate cleavage products, characterized by a combination of the measures that a lignocellulosic material is treated with an aqueous solution containing an alcohol, in particular a C1-4-alcohol or a phenol, and having a pH-value of between 11.0 and 14.0 in order to cleave lignocellulose and separate cleavage products from the material, whereby a material enriched with cellulose and hemicellulose is obtained, and the obtained material enriched with cellulose and hemicellulose is treated with at least one carbohydrate-cleaving enzyme in order to obtain the carbohydrate cleavage products.

Abstract: Yeast comprising at least one gene encoding vanillyl alcohol oxidase, the sequence of which is the sequence SEQ ID No. 1 or any sequence at least 70%, preferably 80%, very preferably 90% homologous to the sequence SEQ ID No. 1, and methods for producing coniferyl alcohol, ferulic acid and vanillin.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for the preparation of carbamic acid (R)-1-aryl-2-tetrazolyl-ethyl esters, comprising the enantioselective enzyme reduction of a 1-aryl-2-tetrazolyl-ethyl ketone to form a (R)-1-aryl-2-tetrazolyl-ethyl alcohol and the carbamation of said alcohol.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide enzymes associated with equol synthesis, genes coding such enzymes, and a process for producing equol and its intermediates using the enzymes and genes. The present invention provides a dihydrodaidzein synthesizing enzyme, tetrahydrodaidzein synthesizing enzyme, equol synthesizing enzyme, and genes coding these enzymes. The present invention also provides a process for synthesizing dihydrodaidzein, tetrahydrodaidzein, and/or equol using these enzymes.

Abstract: A process for the treatment of biomass to render structural carbohydrates more accessible and/or digestible using concentrated ammonium hydroxide with or without anhydrous ammonia addition, is described. The process preferably uses steam to strip ammonia from the biomass for recycling. The process yields of monosaccharides from the structural carbohydrates are good, particularly as measured by the enzymatic hydrolysis of the structural carbohydrates. The monosaccharides are used as animal feeds and energy sources for ethanol production.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to methods for improving the microbial fermentation of gaseous substrates to produce one or more products. The invention relates to the capture of one or more components of a gaseous stream in a liquid. The invention relates to the deoxygenation of a liquid by contacting the liquid with a gaseous stream. The invention relates to methods of increasing efficiency of fermentation by using gas streams exiting a bioreactor to deoxygenate liquid streams entering a bioreactor.

Abstract: The efficient production of ethanol from low-cost biomass (e.g., corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, switchgrass and/or paper) has become increasingly important in making ethanol competitive with gasoline and decreasing the United States' dependence on foreign oil. For example, to reduce the cost of transporting biomass to ethanol production facilities, mobile systems for producing ethanol from biomass are provided. Also provided are small-scale ethanol production facilities. For example, instead of transporting biomass to the production facility, the facility is transported to the biomass or is located nearby the source of the biomass. The ethanol production facilities or components thereof may be transported via land, water, or air. Production of other products, such as hydrocarbons, natural gas, hydrogen gas, plastics, polymers, and proteins, can also be made by the methods and facilities. Any product described herein can be made in finished form or un-finished form and moved, e.g., to a fixed facility, e.g.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of an aqueous glucose solution from maize or maize kernels. The invention also relates to a glucose solution obtainable by this process, and to its use for the production of organic compounds. The process according to the invention comprises: a) fractionating dry milling of maize kernels, where the maize kernels are separated into a maize-starch-comprising endosperm fraction and a high-oil germ fraction and, if appropriate, a bran fraction; b) enzymatic liquefaction and saccharification of the maize starch in an aqueous suspension of the endosperm fraction, which gives an aqueous glucose solution comprising maize gluten; and c) depletion of the maize gluten and, if appropriate, any bran present from the aqueous glucose solution.

Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of one or more alkylamine and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.

Abstract: The invention provides a biocatalytic process for oxidation of organic compounds with the aid of an alkL gene product, and microorganisms used in this process.

Abstract: Feedstocks, obtained at least in part from a plant material that has been modified with respect to its wild type, are processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, systems are described that can treat such feedstock materials, e.g., to reduce the recalcitrance of the feedstock, and use the treated feedstock materials to produce an intermediate or product, e.g., by saccharification and/or fermentation.

Abstract: Methods of processing paper feedstocks are provided, as well as intermediates and products made using such methods. Certain types of paper feedstocks, in particular highly pigmented papers, and/or highly loaded papers such as paper that has been color printed, e.g., magazines, and high basis weight coated papers, e.g., magazine stock, are utilized to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials.

Abstract: The invention relates to the microbial fermentation of gaseous substrates to produce one or more products. The invention relates to the microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate derived from the conversion of a biogas stream. The invention relates to the conversion of a biogas stream comprising methane to a gaseous substrate comprising CO and/or H2, and the production of one or more products from the microbial fermentation of said gaseous substrate.

Abstract: The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms comprising a 1,4-butanediol (BDO), 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine pathway comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a BDO, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to produce BDO, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine and further optimized for expression of BDO. The invention additionally provides methods of using such microbial organisms to produce BDO, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine.

Abstract: The invention relates to methods for improving the efficiency of carbon capture in microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate comprising CO and/or H2. In certain aspects the invention relates to improving the efficiency of carbon capture in the microbial fermentation of gaseous substrate comprising CO and/or H2 to produce alcohol(s) and/or acid(s). In particular the invention relates to methods for improving the efficiency of carbon capture in carboxydotrophic fermentation.

Abstract: The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms comprising a 1,4-butanediol (BDO), 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine pathway comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a BDO, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to produce BDO, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine and further optimized for expression of BDO. The invention additionally provides methods of using such microbial organisms to produce BDO, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 4-hydroxybutanal or putrescine.

Abstract: Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed for use in the production of useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use biomass materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, to enhance the production of a product, e.g., the production of ethanol and/or butanol by fermentation.

Abstract: A process is described for the preparation of water-soluble cellulose hydrolysis product. The process comprise admixing cellulose with an ionic liquid capable of solvating or dissolving at least some of the cellulose, said ionic liquid being a compound comprises solely of cations and anions and which exists in a liquid state at a temperature at or below 150° C., and in which the anions are selected from halide and cyanate; and treating the resulting solvate or solution with an acid in the presence of water, said acid having a pKa in water of less than 2 at 25° C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having glucoamylase activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.

Abstract: The invention relates to an enzymatic method for the enantioselective reduction of organic keto compounds to the corresponding chiral hydroxy compounds, an alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus minor and a method for the enantioselective production of (S)-hydroxy compounds from a racemate.

Abstract: Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, to produce an intermediate or product, e.g., by fermentation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for recovering an organic component from an aqueous medium such as a fermentation broth containing microorganism producing said organic component. The method includes increasing the activity of the organic component in the aqueous medium by increasing the concentration of at least one hydrophilic solute in the medium leading to salting-out of the organic component. The microorganisms are genetically modified to be capable of tolerating higher concentrations in the medium in comparison to their unmodified counterparts.