Tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenase from the tetrachloroethene-utilizing anaerobe, Dehalospirillum multivorans, was purified approximately 100-fold to apparent homogeneity. The purified dehalogenase catalyzed the reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) to trichloroethene and of trichloroethene to cis-1,2-dichloroethene with reduced methyl viologen as the electron donor at a specific activity of 2.6 microkatal/mg. The apparent K_m values for tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene were 0.20 and 0.24 mM, respectively. The apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme was determined by gel filtration to be 58 kDa. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis revealed a single protein band with a molecular mass of 57 kDa. One mol of dehalogenase contained 1.0 mol of corrinoid, 9.8 mol of iron, and 8.0 mol of acid-labile sulfur. The pH optimum was about 8.0. The enzyme had a temperature optimum of 42°C. It was slightly oxygen-sensitive and was thermolabile above 50°C. The dechlorination of PCE was stimulated by ammonium ions. Chlorinated methanes severely inhibited PCE dehalogenase activity.

The yeast strains Cryptococcus podzolicus, Trichosporon porosum and Pichia segobiensis were isolated from soil samples and identified as oleaginous yeast strains beneficial for the establishment of microbial production processes for sustainable lipid production suitable for several industrial applications. When cultured in bioreactors with glucose as the sole carbon source C. podzolicus yielded 31.8% lipid per dry biomass at 20°C, while T. porosum yielded 34.1% at 25°C and P. segobiensis 24.6% at 25°C. These amounts correspond to lipid concentrations of 17.97 g/L, 17.02 g/L and 12.7 g/L and volumetric productivities of 0.09 g/Lh, 0.1 g/Lh and 0.07 g/Lh, respectively. During the culture of C. podzolicus 30 g/l gluconic acid was detected as by-product in the culture broth and 12 g/L gluconic acid in T. porosum culture. The production of gluconic acid was eliminated for both strains when glucose was substituted by xylose as the carbon source. Using xylose lipid yields were 11.1 g/L and 13.9 g/L, corresponding to 26.8% and 33.4% lipid per dry biomass and a volumetric productivity of 0.07 g/Lh and 0.09 g/Lh, for C. podzolicus and T. porosum respectively. The fatty acid profile analysis showed that oleic acid was the main component (39.6 to 59.4%) in all three strains and could be applicable for biodiesel production. Palmitic acid (18.4 to 21.1%) and linolenic acid (7.5 to 18.7%) are valuable for cosmetic applications. P. segobiensis had a considerable amount of palmitoleic acid (16% content) and may be suitable for medical applications.

Low productivities of bioprocesses using gaseous carbon and energy sources are usually caused by the low solubility of those gases (e.g., H₂ and CO). It has been suggested that increasing the partial pressure of those gases will result in higher dissolved concentrations and should, therefore, be helpful to overcome this obstacle. Investigations of the late 1980s with mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide showed inhibitory effects of carbon monoxide partial pressures above 0.8 bar. Avoiding any effects of carbon monoxide, we investigate growth and product formation of Clostridium ljungdahlii at absolute process pressures of 1, 4, and 7 bar in batch stirred tank reactor cultivations with carbon dioxide and hydrogen as sole gaseous carbon and energy source. With increasing process pressure, the product spectrum shifts from mainly acetic acid and ethanol to almost only formic acid at a total system pressure of 7 bar. On the other hand, no significant changes in overall product yield can be observed. By keeping the amount of substance flow rate constant instead of the volumetric gas feed rate when increasing the process pressure, we increased the overall product yield of 7.5 times of what has been previously reported in the literature. After 90 h of cultivation at a total pressure of 7 bar a total of 4 g L⁻¹ of products is produced consisting of 82.7 % formic acid, 15.6 % acetic acid, and 1.7 % ethanol.

The overreliance on dwindling fossil fuel reserves and the negative climatic effects of using such fuels are driving the development of new clean energy sources. One such alternative source is hydrogen (H2), which can be generated from renewable sources. Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius is a facultative anaerobic thermophilic bacterium which is frequently isolated from high temperature environments including hot springs and compost. Comparative genomics performed in the present study showed that P. thermoglucosidasius encodes two evolutionary distinct H2-uptake [Ni-Fe]-hydrogenases and one H2-evolving hydrogenases. In addition, genes encoding an anaerobic CO dehydrogenase (CODH) are co-localized with genes encoding a putative H2-evolving hydrogenase. The co-localized of CODH and uptake hydrogenase form an enzyme complex that might potentially be involved in catalyzing the water-gas shift reaction (CO + H2O → CO2 + H2) in P. thermoglucosidasius. Cultivation of P. thermoglucosidasius DSM 2542T with an initial gas atmosphere of 50% CO and 50% air showed it to be capable of growth at elevated CO concentrations (50%). Furthermore, GC analyses showed that it was capable of producing hydrogen at an equimolar conversion with a final yield of 1.08 H2/CO. This study highlights the potential of the facultative anaerobic P. thermoglucosidasius DSM 2542T for developing new strategies for the biohydrogen production.