Utilization of excess sludge by acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation employing Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 (ATCC 13564).

Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 could not grow or produce butanol in excess sludge medium. However, adding glucose to the excess sludge medium resulted in a specific growth rate and butanol productivity of 0.29 h(-1) and 0.55 g/l/h, respectively, and the final butanol production reached 9.3 g/l. Since the content of suspended solids in medium reduced to less than 50% of the initial content during acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation, the sludge was quantitatively decreased by this fermentation employing this strain.