Optimization of Clostridium acetobutylicum metabolism for biobutanol production using in silico tools.

Alternative biofuels to petroleum-derived compounds are in high demand nowadays. Ethanol has played an important role in the picture as the major biofuel currently produced [1], [2]. However, advances in technology and the current search for alternatives biofuels, brought butanol into the scenario. The characteristics of this primary alcohol make it an interesting alternative to ethanol as it can directly replace gasoline without the need of engine adaptation. Moreover, it is an excellent diluent and solvent for manufacturing intermediates of chemical industry augmenting the potential of this compound. With the most recent Genome-scale Model (GEM) of C. acetobutylicum available, new in silico strategies can be further explored to improve butanol production. By modeling clostridial metabolism, new insights on the acidogenic-solventogenic metabolism are debated in this work.