Production of Bio-ethylene Using Dead Grape Leaf

Abstract

Ethylene is one of the most important intermediates in the industry, being expected to increase in the future despite a predicted shortage of petroleum. In previous papers, we showed that lipids in dead grape leaf (DGL) were attractive substances for biological ethylene production. Furthermore, we reported that 22 kinds of microorganisms including Bacillus mycoides KIOSB43 or the compounds containing ferrous ion such as FeSO₄, FeCl₂ and Fe(OOCCH₃)₂ related to ethylene production from DGL lipids. In order to establish a new technique for sustainable ethylene production independing on petroleum, we investigated the efficient procedure for producing ethylene from DGL. When mono- and di-saccharides were added to DGL, it was decomposed. Then, the treatments of B. mycoides after FeSO₄ treatment produced large amounts of ethylene from the decomposed DGL as compared with those of B. mycoides before FeSO₄ treatment. This procedure seems to be useful for producing bio-ethylene. Further experiments are needed to establish more efficient methods for the bio-ethylene production by improving the treatment of ferrous ion and by strengthening the activity of ethylene-producing microorganisms.