Adaptive evolution of thermotolerant xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae for lignocellulosic ethanol production via high-temperature simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation.

Bioethanol serves as a pivotal renewable alternative to fossil fuels, with applications extending from energy production to use as a precursor for biomaterials. The temperature mismatch between enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation, combined with inefficient xylose metabolism under thermal stress, constitutes a major bottleneck for lignocellulosic ethanol production in simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF). In this work, thermotolerantSaccharomyces cerevisiaestrains were developed through adaptive laboratory evolution, enabling efficient xylose fermentation at 40°C. The evolved strain TT-M6 exhibited significantly enhanced xylose consumption and ethanol productivity. During SSCF with lignocellulosic feedstock at 37°C, the ethanol concentration reached 74.8 g/L, and the ethanol productivity was 0.78 g.L-1.h-1. Integrated multi-omics analysis with functional validation identified key mutations in genes including HSP12, PIR3, CRZ1, ENA1/2, and HXT9, collectively contributing to improved thermotolerance and xylose utilization. Implementation of a two-stage temperature strategy that maintains 37°C for the initial 60 h to enhance hydrolysis and fermentation, followed by reduction to 30°C to sustain metabolic activity, further increased ethanol yield and productivity to 80.2 g/L and 0.84 g·L-1·h-1, respectively, with a solid loading of 33 wt%. Scale-up in a 50-L bioreactor demonstrated industrial relevance, yielding 70.9 g/L ethanol. This study provides advanced yeast strains and actionable genetic targets for high-temperature SSCF, facilitating economically viable production of lignocellulosic bioethanol.