Cell-free synthetic biochemistry upgrading of ethanol to 1,3 butanediol

Journal Article · Mon May 03 04:00:00 UTC 2021 · Scientific Reports

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88899-w · OSTI ID:1816437

Liu, Hongjiang ^[1]; Bowie, James U. ^[2]

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1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). UCLA‑DOE Inst. Molecular Biology Inst. Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry; OSTI
2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). UCLA‑DOE Inst. Molecular Biology Inst. Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

It is now possible to efficiently fix flue gas CO/CO₂ into ethanol using acetogens, thereby making carbon negative ethanol. While the ethanol could be burned as a fuel, returning the CO₂ to the atmosphere, it might also be possible to use the fixed carbon in more diverse chemicals, thereby keeping it fixed. Here we describe a simple synthetic biochemistry approach for converting carbon negative ethanol into the synthetic building block chemical 1,3 butanediol (1,3-BDO). The pathway completely conserves carbon from ethanol and can ultimately be powered electrochemically via formate oxidation. Our proof-of-principle system reached a maximum productivity of 0.16 g/L/h and, with replenishment of feedstock and enzymes, achieved a titer of 7.7 g/L. We identify a number of elements that can be addressed in future work to improve both cell-free and cell-based production of 1,3-BDO.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: FC02-02ER63421
• OSTI ID: 1816437
• Journal Information: Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 11; ISSN 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English