BIODEUTERATION: A BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE PRODUCTION OF PERDEUTERATED LUBRICANTS AND POLYMERS

PERDEUTERATED SYNTHETIC OILS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN SHOWN TO EXHIBIT EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS IN TERMS OF STABILITY TOHIGH TEMPERATURES AND OXIDIZING ENVIRONMENTS. IN SPITE OF THESE ADVANTAGES, THE HIGH COSTS OF CHEMICAL PERDEUTERATION HAVE RESTRICTED THE USE OF THESE COMPOUNDS TO CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH INSTRUMENT "DOWN-TIME" DUE TO LUBRICANT FAILURE IS VERY COSTLY OR A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE FEASABILITY OF BIOTECHNOLOGICAL METHODS FOR PRODUCTION OF PERDEUTERATED OILS. THE OLEOGENICMICROALGA NEOCHLORIS OLEOABUNDANAS WILL BE GROWN AUTOTROPHICALLY IN DEUTERIUM OXIDE. THE PERDEUTERATED BIO-OIL EXTRACTED FROM THESE ALGAE WILL BE USED AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR THE CHEMICAL PRODUCTION OF A PERDEUTERATED POLYOL ESTER LUBRICANT (PENTAERYTHRITOL TETRANONANOATE) AND A PERDEUTERATED POLYAMIDE (NYLON-9). WE ANTICIPATE THAT THEREDUCED COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BIODEUTERATION BY GROWTH OF OLEOGENIC MICROALGAE IN D20 COULD REDUCE THE COST (THEREBY INCREASING THE AVAILABILITY) OF THESE LUBRICANTS AND PLOYMERS.