Activation of Ethanol Production by Combination of Recombinant Ralstonia eutropha and Electrochemical Reducing Power

Abstract

Ralstonia eutropha was genetically modified to induce ethanol production from glucose. An electrochemical bioreactor was prepared to generate electrochemical reducing power coupled to regeneration of NADH. Growing cells of recombinant R. eutropha produced about 29 mM of ethanol in conventional conditions and 56 mM of ethanol in electrochemically reduced conditions from 100 mM glucose. Grown cells of the recombinant produced about 52 mM of ethanol in conventional conditions and 142 mM of ethanol in electrochemically reduced condition from 100 mM glucose. These results are a clue that electrochemical reducing power can induce the recombinant R. eutropha to produce more ethanol coupled to increase of NADH/NAD+ ratio.