1,3-propanediol from glucose

In industrial processes, 1,3-propanediol is used for the production of polyester fibers, polyurethanes and cydic compounds [85]. 1,3-Propanediol can be produced from glucose with the limiting step catalyzed by glycerol dehydratase. A metagenomic survey for glycerol hydratases from the environment resulted in seven positive clones, one of which displayed a level of catalytic efficiency and stability making it ideal for application in the produdion of 1,3-propanediol from glucose. 

Hartlep M, Hussmann W, Prayitno N, Meynial-Salles I, Zeng AP. (2002). Study of two-stage processes for the microbial production of 1,3-propanediol from glucose. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 60, 60-66. 

Microbial Production of 1,3-Propanediol 1,3-Propanediol is a useful monomer for the production of various polyesters, but its use has been hampered by the fact that its production uses an expensive process and starts with a petroleum feedstock. Using genetic engineering, a microbe was developed that biocatalytically generates 1,3-propanediol from glucose that is derived fl om cornstarch, a renewable... 

Several important examples of metabolic engineering, ranging from applications in basic chemicals, such as the manufacture of propanediol from glucose, to the synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates, such as (2i )-indanediol, a building block of the HIV protease inhibitor Crixivan (Indinavir , Merck see Chapter 13, Section 13.3.3.30.), are presented in Chapter 20. 

Figure 20.11 Schematic of the reaction network from glucose to 1,3-propanediol (Chotani, 2000).

Sorona, DuPont s trade name for polypropylene terephthalate, is a large-volume polymer that can now be made at least in part from glucose derived from a renewable plant source such as corn. A biocatalyst converts D-glucose to 1,3-propanediol, which forms polypropylene terephthalate on reaction with terephthalic acid, as shown in Figure 30.9. 

Chemical routes to polypropylene terephthalate-based fibers, which we have branded Sorona, use hazardous chemicals such as ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide and are subject to the environmental problems of a typical chemical process (Figure 7). We undertook the enormous challenge of producing 1,3-propanediol (3G) from glucose in one step as shown in Figure 8. 

Li, S., Tuan, V.A., Falconer, J.L. and Noble, R.D. 2001c. Effects of zeolite membrane structure on the separation of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol and glucose by pervaporation. 

Li SG, Tuan VA, Falconer JL, Noble RD. (2001c). Separation of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol and glucose using a ZSM-5 zeolite membrane. J Membrane Sci, 191, 53-59. 

Liang QF, Zhang HJ, Li SN, Qi QS. (2011). Construction of stress-induced metabolic pathway from glucose to 1,3-propanediol in Escherichia coli. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 89,57-62. 

The monomers used in the polycondensation reaction for the production of poly(alkylene dicarboxylate)s are basically from petrochemical sources. However, some of them can be obtained from renewable sources. For example, 1,3-propanediol can be produced by fermentation of glycerol, which is a by-product from biodiesel or plant oil production. Succinic acid can be synthesized from glucose or whey by bacterial fermentation in very high yields. ... 

While outside the scope of this book, it is worth noting that the biological produdion of 1,3 propanediol from a renewable source such as glucose has been explored for the past several years [275,276]. A recombinant E. coli has been constmcted that contains two previously known metabolic pathways, one for the conversion of glucose to glycerol and another for conversion of glycerol to 1,3 propanediol [275]. This biocatalyst can now be used to convert glucose to 1,3 propanediol in an economically attractive process. 

Approximately 350,000 tons/year of lactic add is produced from glucose. The lactic acid can be converted through traditional chanical routes to yield well-known chemical products such as aayUc add and propanediol. Lactic acid is also the building block for polylactic add (PLA), a biodegradable polymer that has the potential to replace several existing polymer products in high use (Figure 8.14) [9]. 

Fig. 3. Cost comparison of different routes to 1,3-propanediol [74], Production costs for the chemical processes and glucose route are based on estimations from ChemSystems. Estimations for the glycerol processes are based on US market prices of raw materials in 1998 and a production scale of 65,000 t/a. The energy costs for the glucose process are assumed to be the same as the fed-batch glycerol process...

Studies on the transferase action of milk and intestinal phosphatases have shown that compounds such as glucose, glycerol, and propanediol can accept a phosphoryl residue from a wide variety of donors (IBS). The overall reaction is therefore transfer of a phosphoryl group from a donor of type (II) where X is F, 0, S, or N and R is H or an alkyl substituent, etc., or may even be absent, to an acceptor of type R —OH... 

Propanediol is produced either from the reductive hydration of acrolein (Degussa-DuPont process), or through reductive carbonylation of ethylene oxide (Shell process), or through fermentation of glucose via glycerol (DuPont-Genencor process). 

---