RAPE SWITCHGRASS BIOMASS (Brassica napus) AS RAW MATERIALS FOR BIOBUTANOL PRODUCTION

75 Lately, producing liquid organic compounds from the renewable raw materials such as plant biomass became a hotter topic once again. Butanol (butyl alcohol) and ethanol are among such compounds [1, 2]. A significant amount of biomass is produced in agriculture [3], which can be used as raw materials for the bioconversion processes [4]. Various microorganisms are capable of growing on a substrate containing lignin and cellulose, producing substances like butanol, ethanol, acetone, etc. [5]. In a classic acetonebutanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process, the solvents are generated in a ratio of 3:6:1. Butanol is accumulated in the culture fluid if the concentration of sugar-containing substrate is at least 2 % volumetric. That is caused by the inhibiting influence of butanol on the culture growth and development. The solvent ratio changes if the culture substrates contain lignin and cellulose. The butanol concentration also changes, it depends on the amount of available carbohydrate medium (cellulose and hemicellulose) [6]. The aim of present work was to study the butanol accumulation by the producer strains of the genus Clostridium on a substrate of rape raw biomass.