A Comparative Study of Six Different Strains of the Organism Commonly Concerned in Large-Scale Production of Butyl Alcohol and Acetone by the Biological Process

Abstract

A survey of the literature reveals the fact that as far back as 1876 butyl alcohol was recognized as a metabolism product of certain types of bacteria and moulds. Since the pioneer work of Fitz and Pasteur, some twenty-five writers have described organisms which produce butyl alcohol from carbohydrate material. The biological production of acetone was not noted until later (1904), but it is highly probable that all the forms which produce butyl alcohol likewise form acetone, and that the majority of those described in the literature belong to a single species. The types which have been studied more recently have been shown to be capable of considerable variation, depending upon the nutrient medium employed, age of culture, and respiratory environment. The particular organism which is being used on a commercial scale has been given a variety of names which cause confusion regarding the identity of the species. We would urge the general acceptance of the name Clostridium acetobutylicum, Weizmann, as being descriptive and in compliance with the rules and nomenclature of the Society of American Bacteriologists. In the present experimental work it has been our aim to make a comparative study of various strains of butyl alcohol and acetone producing organisms, both newly isolated and old known stock strains. The investigation was stimulated in part by the fact that this laboratory was made a temporary repository 399

Acetone-butanol fermentation revisited.

“…The isolation of solvent-producing clostridial strains has proved to be relatively easy since they are both sporeformers and obligate anaerobes, which have relatively simple growth requirements, and various methods used for isolation have been well documented (21,22,30,168,275). These bacteria have been found most commonly associated with living plant material rather than with decaying plant material or soil.…”

Intermediary Metabolism in Clostridium acetobutylicum : Levels of Enzymes Involved in the Formation of Acetate and Butyrate

“…The saccharolytic anaerobe Clostridium acetobutylicum is known to utilize several different carbohydrates as the sole source of carbon and energy (22,44). The main end products of the fermentation are acetate, butyrate, acetone, butanol, ethanol, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen (15).…”

Origins and relationships of industrial solvent-producing clostridial strains

“…This strain, which was never used in industry, was isolated from Connecticut garden soil in 1924. Weyer and Rettger who characterized the strain opted to select it, rather than the Weizmann strain, as the type strain for the species [11]. This strain has been utilized by the majority of investigators working in the USA, Canada and Sweden as well as some of the groups working in France and Germany.…”

“…In a similar study published a year later, Weyer and Rettger undertook a comparative study of six different solvent-producing strains [11]. Their study included two strains acquired from unspecified sources, one of which appears to have been a variant of the original Weizmann production strain and the second appears to have been a CSC strain isolated from barley in 1919.…”

“…A number of new strains were isolated from various natural sources; however, although many new isolates were tested, none of these proved to be superior to the original Weizmann strain which produced a yield of 28-30% solvents from 3.8% starch [9]. As a result of the recommendations of McCoy et al [10] and Weyer and Rettger [11], the original Weizmann industrial strain and related isolates became known as Clostridium acetobutylicum.…”