Applications:
- Sustainable production of isoprenol for gasoline, or conversion to isoprene for rubber or energy-dense Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- Utilization of agricultural waste in biofuel production processes
Advantages:
- Optimized metabolic pathway for increased isoprenol titer
- Utilization of aromatic compounds from lignocellulosic biomass or other biomass waste streams
- Lower Carbon Intensity (CI) score compared to chemical isoprene production
- High tolerance to xenobiotics
Background:
The current technological approaches for converting feedstocks into biofuels predominantly use yeast and E. coli as the host organism, but both come with notable drawbacks. Yeast and E. coli cannot completely consume biomass-derived carbons, necessitating the exploration of different microbial hosts. Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) is a potential alternative due to its ability to utilize aromatics and C6 sugars found in lignocellulosic biomass, and prior work at JBEI has enabled it to utilize C5 sugars. It has also been generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and is widely used for metabolic engineering studies.
Technology overview:
JBEI researchers have engineered P. putida KT2440 to produce isoprenoids, a diverse category of organic compounds that provide routes to many petrochemical replacements. These compounds are valuable as potential biofuel components. The technology leverages the strain’s ability to process a wide array of carbon sources from inexpensive plant biomass.
One of the primary challenges addressed is the native tendency of P. putida to consume isoprenol, which could hinder its accumulation as a biofuel component. To counter this, the researchers supplemented the medium with L-glutamate. This effectively prevented the self-consumption of isoprenol, thereby increasing the yield. Additionally, the researchers investigated the use of p-Coumarate, a lignin-derived compound, as the sole carbon source for isoprenol production. This further underscores the versatility of P. putida in utilizing various substrates.
The researchers identified multiple gene deletions to improve isoprenol titer and minimize isoprenol consumption. They also optimized the isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP)-bypass pathway, reaching a titer of 3.5 g/L under fed-batch conditions. These advancements demonstrate the system’s flexibility and potential for diverse applications in industrial-scale biofuel production.
Development Stage: Basic Principle
Principal Investigators:
- Taek Soon Lee
Status: Patent Pending
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