Microbial Production of Isoprene Opportunities and Challenges

Isoprene, 2-methyl-l,3-butadiene, is a common organic compound and a key commodity chemical for the rubber and textile industries. Today, isoprene production at the industrial scale relies on the petroleum-derived feedstock and well-developed chemical processes. However, with increasing industrial demand for isoprene, the current petroleum-based isoprene production capacity is not sufficient for the anticipated future markets. Nevertheless, an alternative process that does not rely on petroleum resources and refining capacity is under development for isoprene production. Bioisoprene, which is produced from renewable feedstock through biocatalysts, will be a promising alternative to petroleum-derived isoprene [1]. 

To achieve economic and technical competitiveness, the current isoprene bioprocess needs further development, by construction of powerful microbial producers via synthetic biology techniques and bioengineering, reduction of the unit cost by the utilization of inexpensive feedstock, and upgradation of the gas-phase 

Industrial Biotechnology Products and Processes, First Edition. Edited by Christoph Wittmann and James C. Liao. 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA. Published 2017 by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH 8c Co. KGaA. 

Pioneering studies and piiot scale projects demonstrated the microbial production of isoprene 

Biomass ---------Gas-phase isoprene----------------- liquid-phase Isoprene 

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I 16 Microbial Production of isoprene Opportunities and Challenges Table 16.2 Fermentor scale for isoprene production by different engineered strains. 

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