Adapted culture for cellulosic fermentation

Abstract

A method for producing ethanol by fermentation includes the preparation of a starter culture, inoculation of a mash with the starter culture, fermentation of mash, and recovery of ethanol from the mash. The starter culture includes a tallow base with Chinese tallow tree parts and water which are inoculated with micro-organisms, where the micro-organisms include yeast. The micro-organisms are grown in the tallow base, and used to inoculate the mash. The mash is then fermented, and ethanol is recovered from the mash.

1 . A method of adapting microorganisms to increase the microorganism's efficiency in producing ethanol comprising:
 a) providing a tallow base comprising Chinese tallow tree parts mixed with water;   b) inoculating the tallow base with yeast; and   c) adapting the yeast in the tallow base in a growth stage such that the yeast will ferment and produce ethanol from cellulosic material other than Chinese tallow tree.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  where the yeast is  saccharomyces cerevisiae.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising sterilizing the tallow base prior to (b). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  where (b) further comprises inoculating the tallow base with microorganisms present in non-pasteurized honey. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  where the honey is non-pasteurized red honey. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  where (c) further comprises exposing the tallow base to a negative magnetic field. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  where (b) further comprises inoculating the tallow base with a fungus, where the fungus is  Pichia membranifaciens.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of adding estrogen to the tallow base prior to (c). 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  where (c) further comprises oxygenating the tallow base during the growth stage. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising maintaining the pH of the tallow base below 7. 
     
     
         11 . A method of producing ethanol comprising:
 a) preparing a mash, where the mash comprises water and an organic material;   b) inoculating the mash with a starter culture, where the starter culture comprises yeast of the genus  saccharomyces  and the fungus  Pichia membranifaciens;      c) fermenting the mash; and   d) recovering ethanol from the mash.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  where the organic material comprises cellulosic materials. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  where the starter culture is adapted with a base comprising material other than the cellulosic materials fermented in step (c). 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  where the organic material is a cellulosic material which has not been pretreated with acids, heat, ammonia, ozone, or alkaline wet oxidation. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising exposing the mash to a negative magnetic field during step (c). 
     
     
         16 . A culture for fermenting cellulosic materials comprising;
 Yeast of the genus  saccharomyces  and the fungus  Pichia membranifaciens  which have been adapted in a mixture comprising Chinese tallow tree and water such that the culture will ferment cellulosic materials other than Chinese tallow tree.   
     
     
         17 . The culture of  claim 16  further comprising microorganisms present in non-pasteurized honey. 
     
     
         18 . The culture of  claim 16  further comprising estrogen. 
     
     
         19 . The culture of  claim 16  where the culture will ferment cellulosic materials which have not been pre-treated with acids, heat, ammonia, ozone, or alkaline wet oxidation. 
     
     
         20 . The culture of  claim 16  where the yeast is oblong such that the length is at least twice the width.