LARGE AMOUNTS OF PAPER MILL SLUDGE (PMS) FROM PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRIES BRING ABOUT SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND ECONOMIC BURDEN FOR WASTE TREATMENT. WITH HIGH CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT, PMS CAN BE USED AS FEEDSTOCK FOR BIO-BASED PRODUCT PRODUCTION. (R)-1,3-BUTANEDIOL (R-1,3-BD) IS A KEY INTERMEDIATE FOR SYNTHESIZING Β-LACTAM ANTIBIOTICS AND MANY OTHER CHEMICALS, ENTAILING A HUGE MARKET DEMAND. PETROCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF R-1,3-BD NOT ONLY REQUIRES SUBSTANTIAL ENERGY BUT ALSO CANNOT REACH HIGH OPTICAL PURITY. THE PRODUCTION OF BIOCHEMICALS THROUGH BIOLOGICAL ROUTES HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE IT IS USUALLY RENEWABLE, EFFICIENT, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN. IN THIS SEED GRANT, WE ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF PRODUCING HIGH-VALUE CHIRALLY PURE R-1,3-BD USING PAPER MILL SLUDGE (PMS) AS THE FEEDSTOCK THROUGH SYSTEMATIC METABOLIC ENGINEERING OF THE MICROBIAL HOST. WE PROPOSE: 1) FIRSTLY, CONSTRUCT A SYNTHETIC PATHWAY FOR R-1,3-BD PRODUCTION IN OUR MICROBIAL HOST TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF R-1,3-BD PRODUCTION; 2) ENHANCE R-1,3-BD PRODUCTION LEVEL AND SELECTIVITY VIA FURTHER GENOME ENGINEERING, AND 3) OPTIMIZE FERMENTATION FOR R-1,3-BD PRODUCTION USING PMS AS FEEDSTOCK. ULTIMATELY, WE WILL ESTABLISH AN OPTIMIZED BIOPROCESS FOR EFFICIENT R-1,3-BD PRODUCTION FROM PMS USING THE ENGINEERED MICROBIAL HOST.
$300,000FY2023National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA
Auburn University, Auburn AL