Acidophilic fusarium oxysporum strains, methods of their production and methods of their use

• US 10,344,306 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fynder Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sustainable Bioproducts, Inc.
• Inventors: Kozubal, Mark A, Macur, Richard E, Inskeep, William P
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Ruth A
• Application Number:
  US15/791,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20180100171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/14 Fungi culture of mushrooms A01G18/00; as new plants A01H15/00; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/145 Fungal isolates
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/22 Processes using, or culture media containing, cellulose or hydrolysates thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2203/00 Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source ethanol C12P7/10
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 3/00 Preparation of elements or inorganic compounds except carbon dioxide recovery of carbon dioxides as by-products C12F3/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6463 obtained from glyceride producing microorganisms, e.g. single cell oil
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/649 Biodiesel, i.e. fatty acid alkyl esters
• CPC Class Codes: C12R 2001/77 Fusarium
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The present invention provides isolated acidophilic Fusarium oxysporum strains, such as MK7, and their progeny, compositions comprising such strains and their progeny, methods of producing such strains and their progeny, and methods of using such strains and their progeny.

Claims

1. A method of producing one or more energy-rich metabolites, wherein the energy-rich metabolites are alcohols and/or hydrogen gas, said method comprising the steps of:

a) making a mixture by contacting an isolated Fusarium oxysporum strain MK7 (ATCC Accession Deposit No. PTA-10698) with a feedstock material selected from the group consisting of a lignocellulosic feedstock, a carbon containing waste product, a carbohydrate, and a combination thereof, wherein the feedstock material can support the growth of said Fusarium oxysporum strain MK7;

b) incubating said mixture at pH less than 5 for a period of time under anaerobic conditions;

c) producing from said mixture one or more energy-rich metabolites following such contact; and

d) optionally, isolating said one or more energy-rich metabolites from the mixture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic feedstock material is wheat straw.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy-rich metabolite is ethanol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedstock is a lignocellulosic feedstock and the energy-rich metabolite is hydrogen gas.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a pretreatment step prior to step (b), wherein said pretreatment step is selected from the group consisting of:

reducing the pH of the mixture, adding manganese to the mixture and adding a nutrient to the mixture.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pH is 0.5-3.0 and the manganese concentration is 5 mM, 10 mM, or 25 mM.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pretreatment step is adding manganese to the mixture.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the final manganese concentration in the mixture is 5 mM, 10 mM, or 25 mM.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the manganese is selected from the group consisting of Mn₂(CO)₁₀, K₅[Mn(CN)₆NO, MnCl₂, MnF₂, MnBr₂, MnO, MnO₂, MnCl₃, MnF₃, MnBr₃, MnCO₃, Mn(CH₃COO)₂, C₆H₉MnO₆, MnTiO₃, [CH₃COCH═

C(O)CH₃]₂Mn, [C₆H₁₁(CH₂)₃CO₂]₂Mn, (HCO₂)₂Mn, Mn(C₅HF₆O₂)₂, Mn(PH₂O₂)₂, MnI₂, (C₃H₅O₃)₂Mn, MnMoO₄, Mn(NO₃)₂, Mn(ClO₄)₂, C₃₂H₁₆MnN₈, MnSO₄, (CH₃COO)₃Mn, C₃₂H₁₆ClMnN₈, C₄₈H₂₈ClMnN₄O₈, C₅H₄CH₃Mn(CO)₃, Mn(C₅H₄C₂H₅)₂, and C₁₆H₂₂Mn.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pH is 0.5-3.0.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pH is 3-4.5.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energy-rich metabolite is a biofuel.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energy-rich metabolite is a biofuel precursor selected from the group consisting of isobutanol, isopropanol, propanol, 2-butanol, 30 butanol, pentanol, 2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 3-methyl-2-butanol.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon containing waste product is municipal, industrial, and/or farm sewage sludge.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbohydrate is glucose.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energy-rich metabolite is butanol or isobutanol.