Innovative Methods for the Conversion of Biomass to Short Chain Alkenes for the Production of Renewable Jet Fuels

C5-6 Technologies and University of Wisconsin Stevens Point scientists will develop a bacterial strain that economically ferments sugars into isoprene, a platform chemical that will play a central role in the future bio-economy. UWSP scientists have genetically engineered E. coli to produce isoprene, a precursor of B-pinene and other fuels, via a novel pathway that has significant potential production yield. These have been used to produce isoprene from pulp mill sludge as a proof of concept. Billions of pounds of high sugar content pulp mill sludge are landfilled yearly. The present work is aimed at improving the conversion rate and efficiency of the UWSP process. Phase I of this research will test a codon-optimized synthetic operon containing all the elements of the pathway to over-produce isoprene in E. coli. A new genetic engineering tool will be used to accelerate the manipulation and optimization of this operon. Isoprene production rates and yields and gene expression data obtained from this study will be used to optimize the productivity of the organism and to develop a biorefinery based on the organism where pulp mill waste products are converted directly to commercially viable levels of isoprene for aviation fuel.