Synergistic Co-culture of Bacillus cereus and Clostridium acetobutylicum for Enhanced Biobutanol Production Utilizing Rice Husk: A Sustainable Approach to Biofuel Production

Abstract

Biobutanol, a promising biofuel with superior properties compared to ethanol, has garnered significant attention as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. In the present study pretreatment of rice husk with deep euectic solvent using choline chloride and urea (ChCl/U) was investigated for the production of biobutanol. DES pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis yielded 30 ± 0.54 mg/ml of reducing sugar. This study also investigates the synergistic potential of co-culturing Bacillus cereus and Clostridium acetobutylicum for enhanced biobutanol production. B. cereus, known for its robust metabolism and extracellular enzyme secretion, is paired with C. acetobutylicum, a proficient butanol producer. The coculture produced 4.7 ± 0.69 g/l of biobutanol. The co-culture strategy aims to capitalize on the complementary metabolic capabilities of the two strains, facilitating improved substrate utilization and butanol production.