This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to engineer a biocatalyst for efficient transformation of feedstocks into a linear, volatile olefin, namely propylene. Current production of propylene from fossil fuels is unsustainable from economical, environmental, and social perspective. The biomass-based technologies being developed also are limited by either the low specificity of chemical processing or product toxicity to microorganisms. To overcome these challenges, a novel pathway for direct fermentation of feedstocks into propylene will be utilized. The functional attributes of propylene, such as insolubility in aqueous solutions and high vapor pressure, make their production process from microbial organisms facile by eliminating issues associated with product toxicity and recovery. The current proposal outlines plans to optimize biocatalyst efficiency by redirecting metabolite fluxes towards propylene. This will be achieved by deregulation of the relevant metabolic pathways with elimination of the known bottlenecks. The outcome of this project will be a "fast-to-market" biocatalyst that transforms feedstocks into propylene, a primary building block for petrochemical industries.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project, if successful, will be the development of a technology for microbial production of an important chemical intermediate, propylene, from renewable and sustainable feedstocks with broad applications in fuels and products. Propylene is one of the largest olefin used by petrochemical industries with a market value exceeding $100 billion. It is expected that by 2015, demand will outpace the propylene production capacity. Success of the proposed project would, therefore, lead to a timely development of a biorefinery industry for production of propylene from cheap and renewable feedstocks. Moreover, the knowledge gained from this project will be leveraged in optimization of biocatalysts for production of other olefins, thereby opening new market opportunity. Success of the proposed process technology will contribute to the economic and energy security of the U.S. by reducing the dependence on fossil fuels.
Project outcomes summary The overall objective of MOgene Green Chemicals, LLC (MGC) is to establish a process technology for microbial production of olefins from renewable feedstocks. MGC has used the SBIR Phase I funding from the National Science Foundation to successfully demonstrate the underlying technology of increased production of olefin by the microbial catalyst. We have addressed three major goals that provide foundation to further optimize the biocatalyst for cost-effective conversion of renewable feedstocks into a principal olefin that is used by petrochemical industry for production of specialty and commodity products. Recent changes in the landscape of feedstocks resulting from the instability/unpredictability in the primary feedstocks prices as well as availability of cheaper alternatives, such as natural gas liquids, has significantly affected the cost competitiveness of petrochemical industries that use C3-C5 olefins as primary building blocks. The MOgene Green Chemicals technology provides a bio-based sustainable alternative for production of the exact same molecule. MGC’s microbial production technology will provide a wide range of benefits to society, business and government organizations, and the environment. First, bio production of light olefins will provide a sustainable supply of industrial materials and fuels that are not dependent on dwindling stocks of fossil fuels and limit emissions of global warming gases during their production and use. This will further benefit U.S. society by providing employment in the green manufacturing sector. Second, it has the potential to reduce the import of feedstocks from politically volatile regions of the world, thereby improving our financial stability and military security. Third, in its ultimate envisioned deployment, the technology will utilize CO2 and methane as feedstocks and will reduce the greenhouse gas impact on the environment. Fourth, educational and scientific benefits will derive from the discovery of methods of transforming microbial genetic machinery and demonstrating their efficient utilization for diverse industrial applications. Finally, it is one of the few gas phase fermentation technologies and development of this capability will be important for the U.S. to maintain competitive edge in the emerging bioeconomy industries.
