Fermentability of selected pentose-rich hydrolysates to high value products by Native pentose-fermenting yeasts

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Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative (IGPC) is an Ontario based farmer owned co-operative founded in 2002 to build an ethanol plant in Aylmer, Ontario to add value to local producers' corn. The ethanol plant successfully began operations in 2008. With leading edge technology and experienced management, IGPC has quickly established itself as one of the leading players in the Canadian Ethanol Industry. IGPC produces over 180,000,000 L of ethanol, 150,000 T of animal feed, as well as corn oil for renewable fuel production. IGPC is interested in diversifying its substrate and product range. Recently, it has been exploring the possibility of producing higher value products from hydrolysates generated from corn stover and other lignocellulosic biomass. The hydrolysates were produced by a proprietary pretreatment method and separated into a stream containing C6 sugars and a stream containing a high ratio of pentose (C5) sugars on a dry matter basis. While use of glucose rich streams is well demonstrated in the industry, efficient conversion of the C5 stream to value added products is required to improve the process economics for long term commercial viability. In this proposal, the applicant proposes to initiate a collaborative research project with IGPC to test the fermentability of the IGPC hydrolysates by selected pentose-fermenting yeasts to produce ethanol or xylitol. Successful undertaking of this research will yield information about the relative toxicity of the IGPC hydrolysates, as well as their suitability to serve as substrates for fermentative production of fuel(s) and chemical(s).