The inventive biorefinery system and method accepts municipal solid waste, sewage sludges, and/or ag-wastes and processes it through three primary conversion unit operations to produce a variety of value-added products. In a preferred embodiment, the three primary conversion units are gasification, thermal depolymerization or torrefaction/pyrolysis, and biotreatment.

The disclosure provides a method for biohydrogen production. The method includes: mixing a hydrogen production medium and a buffer solution Na.sub.2HPO.sub.4/NaH.sub.2PO.sub.4 having a pH value of 5-9, to yield a first mixture; adding corn stalk powder and cellulase to the first mixture and mixing, to yield a second mixture; adding a suspension of photosynthesis bacteria HAU-M1 at the late exponential phase to the second mixture, to yield a third mixture; and sealing the third mixture and allowing for photo-fermentation biohydrogen production under anaerobic fermentation conditions.

The disclosure provides a method for biohydrogen production. The method includes: mixing a hydrogen production medium and a buffer solution Na.sub.2HPO.sub.4/NaH.sub.2PO.sub.4 having a pH value of 5-9, to yield a first mixture; adding corn stalk powder and cellulase to the first mixture and mixing, to yield a second mixture; adding a suspension of photosynthesis bacteria HAU-M1 at the late exponential phase to the second mixture, to yield a third mixture; and sealing the third mixture and allowing for photo-fermentation biohydrogen production under anaerobic fermentation conditions.

A non-naturally occurring eukaryotic or prokaryotic organism includes one or more gene disruptions occurring in genes encoding enzymes imparting increased fumarate, malate or acrylate production in the organism when the gene disruption reduces an activity of the enzyme. The one or more gene disruptions confers increased production of acrylate onto the organism. Organisms that produce acrylate have an acrylate pathway that at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an acrylate pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to produce acrylate, the acrylate pathway comprising a decarboxylase. Methods of producing fumarate, malate or acrylate include culturing these organisms.

A non-naturally occurring eukaryotic or prokaryotic organism includes one or more gene disruptions occurring in genes encoding enzymes imparting increased fumarate, malate or acrylate production in the organism when the gene disruption reduces an activity of the enzyme. The one or more gene disruptions confers increased production of acrylate onto the organism. Organisms that produce acrylate have an acrylate pathway that at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an acrylate pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to produce acrylate, the acrylate pathway comprising a decarboxylase. Methods of producing fumarate, malate or acrylate include culturing these organisms.

Provided herein are methods, compositions, and non-naturally occurring microbial organism for preparing compounds such as α-butanol, butyric acid, succinic acid, 1,4-butanediol, 1-pentanol, pentanoic acid, glutaric acid, 1,5-pentanediol, 1-hexanol, hexanoic acid, adipic acid, 1,6-hexanediol, 6-hydroxy hexanoic acid, ε-Caprolactone, 6-amino-hexanoic acid, ε-Caprolactam, hexamethylenediamine, linear fatty acids and linear fatty alcohols that are between 7-25 carbons long, linear alkanes and linear α-alkenes that are between 6-24 carbons long, sebacic acid and dodecanedioic acid comprising: a) converting a C.sub.N aldehyde and pyruvate to a C.sub.N+3 β-hydroxyketone intermediate through an aldol addition; and b) converting the C.sub.N+3 β-hydroxyketone intermediate to the compounds through enzymatic steps, or a combination of enzymatic and chemical steps.

Provided herein are methods, compositions, and non-naturally occurring microbial organism for preparing compounds such as α-butanol, butyric acid, succinic acid, 1,4-butanediol, 1-pentanol, pentanoic acid, glutaric acid, 1,5-pentanediol, 1-hexanol, hexanoic acid, adipic acid, 1,6-hexanediol, 6-hydroxy hexanoic acid, ε-Caprolactone, 6-amino-hexanoic acid, ε-Caprolactam, hexamethylenediamine, linear fatty acids and linear fatty alcohols that are between 7-25 carbons long, linear alkanes and linear α-alkenes that are between 6-24 carbons long, sebacic acid and dodecanedioic acid comprising: a) converting a C.sub.N aldehyde and pyruvate to a C.sub.N+3 β-hydroxyketone intermediate through an aldol addition; and b) converting the C.sub.N+3 β-hydroxyketone intermediate to the compounds through enzymatic steps, or a combination of enzymatic and chemical steps.

The present disclosure provides recombinant microorganisms and methods for producing malonate semialdehyde and/or related products, such as ketones, alcohols, organic acids, esters, alkenes, amino acids, and combinations thereof including 3-hydroxypropionic acid, acrylic acid, propionic acid, 1-propanol, acetone, 2-propanol, butanone, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, methyl propionate, 1,3-propanediol, isoamyl alcohol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, lactic acid, adipic acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, acetic acid, butyric acid, caproic acid, citric acid, methacrylic acid, succinic acid, propylene, butadiene, ethanol, isoprenol, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, glycine, and isoprene, from β-alanine. The recombinant microorganism expresses an asparate 1-decarboxylase that catalyzes the production of malonate semialdehyde from β-alanine.

The present disclosure provides recombinant microorganisms and methods for producing malonate semialdehyde and/or related products, such as ketones, alcohols, organic acids, esters, alkenes, amino acids, and combinations thereof including 3-hydroxypropionic acid, acrylic acid, propionic acid, 1-propanol, acetone, 2-propanol, butanone, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, methyl propionate, 1,3-propanediol, isoamyl alcohol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, lactic acid, adipic acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, acetic acid, butyric acid, caproic acid, citric acid, methacrylic acid, succinic acid, propylene, butadiene, ethanol, isoprenol, leucine, isoleucine, glutamine, glycine, and isoprene, from β-alanine. The recombinant microorganism expresses an asparate 1-decarboxylase that catalyzes the production of malonate semialdehyde from β-alanine.

An active solid state fermentation bioreactor for producing gases, liquid(s) or solids from gaseous or gaseous and liquid starting materials and a fermentation process using the reactor are disclosed, The bioreactor includes three major phases; a solid phase including the porous solid support, a liquid phase comprising liquid, and a gaseous phase. The solid phase includes a porous solid support, in which at least 20% of the pore volumes have a size resulting in a liquid suction of about 0.01 to about 0.1 bars if these pores are filled with liquid, the porous solid support is inoculated with desired micro-organisms, the volume of the gaseous phase is 20% to 60% of the volume of the bioreactor, and the liquid phase is at least 20% of the reactor volume, The unsaturated capillary conductivity of filling/packing solid material of the bioreactor is at least 0.1 cm/ h. The solid state fermentation bioreactor enables a large gas-liquid interface, in which the filling material has a good capillary conductivity despite the unsaturated state.