Abstract:[Objective]We screened a thermophilic xylolytic bacterium that produced fuel ethanol from a high-temperature oil reservoir,and provided microbial resources to genetic engineering strains construction and consolidated bioprocessing.[Methods]We adopted Hungate anaerobic technique to isolate strain xyl-d from oil reservoir water sample enriched for two years from Shengli Oilfield in China,and we identified strain xyl-d with morphological,physiological,biochemical and phylogenetic analysis.[Results] Strain xyl-d was gram-negative,rod-shaped,spore-forming and strictly anaerobic.The growth temperature ranged from 30℃ to 85℃ (optimum 65℃) and the pH ranged from 3.0 to 10.0 (optimum 7.5) and salt concentration was 0%-4%(optimum at 2.0%).It converted D-xylose into ethanol,acetate,CO2,trace amount of iso-butanol and propionate. The genomic DNA G + C contents of strain xyl-d was 45. 6 mol% . Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence,strain xyl-d was most close to Thermoanaerobacter wiegelii DSM10319T and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus DSM 2246T both with the 99. 3% similarity. It produced more ethanol and less acetate at initial pH 8. 5 than other pH. Ethanol yield was increased significantly with yeast extract,and ethanol became the main end product. In addition,growth of strain xyl-d was inhibited obviously with ethanol concentration more than 7% (V/V).In the optimum growth conditions,xylose degradation rates reached to 91.37%.[Conclusion] Strain xyl-d was thermophilic,high xylose conversion rate,acidotolerant anaerobe. It was a potential bacterium that can be used for consolidated bioprocessing.