Abstract
Advanced biofuels possess superior characteristics to serve for gasoline substitutes. In this study, a whole cell biocatalysis system was employed for production of short-chain alcohols from corresponding fatty acids. To do so, Escherichia coli strain was equipped with a biocatalytic pathway consisting of endogenous atoDA and Clostridium acetobutylicum adhE2. The strain was further reprogrammed to improve its biocatalytic activity by direction the glycolytic flux to acetyl-CoA and recycling acetate. The production of 1-propanol and n-pentanol were exemplified with the engineered strain. By substrate (glucose and propionate) feeding, the strain enabled production of 5.4 g/L 1-propanol with productivity reaching 0.15 g/L/h. In addition, the strain with a heavy inoculum was implemented for the n-pentanol production from n-pentanoic acid. The production titer and productivity finally attained 4.3 g/L and 0.86 g/L/h, respectively. Overall, the result indicates that this developed system is useful and effective for biocatalytic production of short-chain alcohols.
Highlights
Our daily life which mainly depends on fossil resources has caused the enormous emission of greenhouse gases, leading to global climate change
Advanced biofuels involving longer chain alcohols (C3–C6) are of particular interest because they have superior characteristics applied for gasoline substitutes
Acetoacetyl-CoA transferase encoded by atoDA has a physiological function for activation of short-chain fatty acids (C4–C6) to corresponding thioesters associated with acetic acid [17]
Summary
Our daily life which mainly depends on fossil resources has caused the enormous emission of greenhouse gases, leading to global climate change. Ethanol appears to be a representative biofuel It has unfavorable properties including low energy density, high vapor pressure, and hygroscopicity [2]. Isopentanol (C5) is a branched-chain alcohol and shares similarity in the physiochemical property with gasoline [4]. It has a higher volumetric energy density than n-butanol. As a linear-chain alcohol, n-pentanol (C5) is exploited as an additive in diesel [5]. It results in diesel fuel with a better performance in terms of fuel combustion and particulate emission
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
