ZymoChem Inc — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.8

Description

1-hexanol is a widely used intermediate chemical with applications in the perfume, food, chemicals ?and polymer industry. It can be dehydrated to make 1-hexene which is widely used a co-monomer for polyethylene applications. Current industrial production of 1-hexanol uses petroleum based feedstocks and involves several steps that are carried out at high temperatures and high pressures, making the synthesis of 1-hexanol energy intensive, environmentally unsound,?and unsustainable. This SBIR Phase?I project focuses on the development of a novel pathway for the sustainable, high-yielding, environmentally benign and cost-competitive production of 1-hexanol from biomass-derived sugars. The proposed pathway utilizes the strong flux of the central metabolism, involves no carbon loss in the form of CO2, and is highly selective for 1-hexanol production. Using ZymoChem's enzyme screening and engineering expertise, we will develop enzymes that catalyze the various steps involved in the proposed 1-hexanol biosynthesis pathway. For this project we will focus on demonstrating successful in vitro synthesis of 1-hexanol via the novel metabolic pathway.The novel pathway will result in sustainable and environmentally benign industrial production of bio-based 1-hexanol that can be significantly less expensive than its petroleum derived counterpart. The economic benefits gained by the chemical industry will be passed on to the end consumers. Production of 1-hexanol from biomass will undoubtedly benefit the society, as well as reduce dependence on petroleum for production of this widely used chemical.