Research with Clostridium Species in Biofuel and Biochemical Product Production

Dear Colleagues,

The Clostridium genus, which includes both pathogenic and non-pathogenic anaerobic species, has recently received considerable attention. This is due to the medical relevance of clostridial pathogenic species, as well as the capacity of non-pathogenic or solventogenic species to produce biofuels and biochemical products. The overarching objective of this Special Issue is to explore the physiology, metabolic engineering, and diverse applications of solventogenic Clostridium species for the synthesis of biofuels and biochemicals. Some examples of the solventogenic Clostridium species include, but are not limited to, Clostridium beijerinckii, C. acetobutylicum, C. tetanomorphum, C. thermosaccharolyticum, C. butyricum, C. saccharobutylicum, C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum, C. muellerianum, C. autoethanogenum, C. ljungdahlii, C. ragsdalei, C. aceticum, C. carboxidivorans, C. pasteurianum, C. drakei, C. kluyveri, C. propionicum, Alkalibaculum bacchi, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum, and Moorella thermoacetica. The goal is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current research status in this field, with a particular focus on the solventogenic Clostridium species.

Specifically, in this Special Issue, entitled “Research with Clostridium Species in Biofuel and Biochemical Product Production”, there will be an exploration of distinctive traits of solventogenic Clostridium species, which include the capacity to ferment a broad variety of monosaccharides (e.g., glucose and xylose), disaccharides (e.g., maltose, cellobiose, and sucrose), polysaccharides (e.g., starch), and gases (e.g., carbon monoxide and dioxide), as well as the capacity to produce a variety of saccharolytic enzymes and a diversity of end products. How these traits make Clostridium an attractive candidate for biofuel and biochemical production, with the potential to address key challenges in the field of renewable energy and sustainable chemicals, will be explored.

Furthermore, there will be an exploration of advancements in bioprocessing methods utilizing Clostridium species, which will include metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and integrated fermentation with in situ product recovery. These methods are being investigated to improve the yield, effectiveness, and specificity of biofuel and biochemical production, and in other related disciplines. Additionally, this Special Issue will highlight the economic benefits of utilizing Clostridium for biofuel and biochemical production, and the development of sustainable and economically efficacious processes. In this Special Issue, therefore, we extend invitations to authors to submit their original research and review articles that focus on various aspects of Clostridium-centric research. These contributions may include, but are not limited to, the biochemistry, ecology, and physiology of solventogenic Clostridium species, with the goal of advancing our understanding of fuel and biochemical product production processes. We also welcome contributions that delve into cutting-edge technologies related to the synthesis of acetone, ethanol, propanol, propanediol, butanol, 2,3-butanediol, pentanol, and hexanol from sugars and gases, thus expanding the current state of the art in this field. We look forward to the contributions of the authors who take advantage of this opportunity.

Prof. Dr. Thaddeus Ezeji
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• acetone
• butanol
• propanol
• propanediol
• butanediol
• pentanol
• hexanol
• heptanol
• Clostridium
• integrated fermentation
• metabolic engineering
• technoeconomic analysis
• biomass conversion