SBIR Phase I:Synthetic pathway in Pichia pastoris for production of 1,2-propanediol from crude glycerol

This SBIR Phase I project will produce 1,2- propanediol (propylene glycol) from biodiesel byproduct glycerol using a synthetic biology approach in a Pichia pastoris as cell factory. This compound has wide scope in industries from fuel additive to de-icing agent. The broader/commercial impact of the project will be the application of biotechnology to the solution of environmental problems. The market opportunity for the output from this project is broad. In current practice, the transesterification of plant liquids generates crude glycerol as a byproduct and this byproduct could be an additional raw substrate for many value-added compounds and production of 1, 2-propanediol.