A Mini-Review on Syngas Fermentation to Bio-Alcohols: Current Status and Challenges

Vishal Ahuja, Arvind Kumar Bhatt, Balasubramani Ravindran, Yung-Hun Yang and Shashi Kant Bhatia ()
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Vishal Ahuja: University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India
Arvind Kumar Bhatt: Department of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla 171005, Himachal Pradesh, India
Balasubramani Ravindran: Department of Environmental Energy and Engineering, Kyonggi University, Yeongtong-Gu, Suwon-si 16227, Republic of Korea
Yung-Hun Yang: Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
Shashi Kant Bhatia: Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Biomass gasification produces syngas, mainly comprised of CO and H 2 along with H 2 S, CO 2 , N 2, and tar compounds. Inorganic carbon present in syngas as CO and CO 2 can be utilized for the production of several value-added chemicals including ethanol, higher alcohols, fuels, and hydrogen. However, chemical sequestration operates at a high temperature of 300–500 °C and pressure of 3–5 MPa in the presence of heavy metal catalysts. Catalyst regeneration and the maintenance of high temperature and pressure increased the cost of operation. Microorganisms like algae and bacteria including Acetobacterium and Clostridium also have the potential to sequester carbon from the gas phase. Research has emphasized the production of microbial metabolites with a high market value from syngas. However, scale-up and commercialization of technology have some obstacles like inefficient mass transfer, microbial contamination, inconsistency in syngas composition, and requirement for a clean-up process. The current review summarizes the recent advances in syngas production and utilization with special consideration of alcohol and energy-related products along with challenges for scale-up.

Keywords: biomass gasification; syngas utilization; microbial fermentation; alcohol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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