Caloramator Boliviensis, a New Thermoanaerobe with Interesting Metabolic Properties

Sammanfattning: Popular Abstract in English Among the forms of life found in extreme environments (e.g. high temperatures ‘thermo’ and oxygen deficient ‘anaerobe’), the thermoanaerobic bacteria emerge as a highly evolved and interesting subject of study. Bacteria living as microbial mats in decaying plant material possess a great potential not only to degrade complex biomass but also to produce special chemicals. In the present study we discovered a new bacterium ‘Caloramator boliviensis’ that lives at high temperature in decaying wood. More interestingly, C. boliviensis digests the main components of plant biomass and produces bioethanol and other valuable chemicals. By operating at high temperatures, the ethanol production technology becomes simplified thereby contributing towards a cost effective process. In addition, the conversion of plant biomass into ethanol is one of the hopes for solving the energy crisis in the future. The proposal of using thermoanaerobic bacteria for industrial ethanol production dates from long ago. Therefore, some bacteria related to C. boliviensis are under study. Ethanol production by the novel C. boliviensis was evaluated at laboratory scale and high ethanol yields were obtained using various sugars. The ability of C. boliviensis to produce ethanol lies in its genetic information that commands processes to occur inside the cell. Understanding those processes, their balance and regulation allows us to determine the real potential of C. boliviensis to produce ethanol. It is important to mention that in nature, no microorganisms have been identified that possess all of the characteristics necessary for the optimal ethanol production, so one may have to genetically engineer C. boliviensis for this purpose. Genetic engineering of C. boliviensis to maximize ethanol production leads to additional research. However, a solid basis for understanding the natural occurring ethanol formation by C. boliviensis is settled and as a result of the present study future genetic engineering of C. boliviensis is prospected.