Biomanufacturing 3-Hydroxypropionate through Commercial-Scale Anaerobic Fermentation

C56-10d-273616To meet the need for more sustainable manufacturing supply chains with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and to remove reliance on foreign supply chains, policymakers and researchers have begun exploring the possibilities of biomanufacturing commodity chemicals and materials. Acrylates are a primary monomeric component in paints, coatings, plastics, and super-absorbent polymer applications. 3-Hydroxypropionate is a precursor to acrylates and acrylic acid. A bio-based production method must be created to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the current petrochemical method for 3-Hydroxypropionate production. The most prevalent and heavily explored form of biomanufacturing is aerobic fermentation. However, due to their large capital and operating costs, as well as a lack of available aerobic fermentation capacity, aerobic fermentation efforts have largely been unable to scale. This project proposes a new approach to biomanufacturing through anaerobic fermentation. Utilizing existing anaerobic ethanol fermentation facilities will reduce capital and operating costs over aerobic bioproduction methods due to aerobic-associated increases in aeration, associated mixing and cooling costs, and more capital-intensive bioreactor design. Anaerobic pathways also represent the most efficient route for converting sugar to product. Furthermore, decreased ethanol demand has increased the availability of shuttered anaerobic fermentation capacity, allowing for the technology's scaling. During Phase I of the project, an enzyme study will be carried out to create a yeast strain that expresses a key enzyme to generate additional cellular energy for the anaerobic production of 3-Hydroxypropionate. Additionally, this project will aim to prove the enzyme's effectiveness through invivo testing to develop a commercially viable strain for anaerobic 3-Hydroxypropionate production. The success of this project will lead to the creation of a commercially viable strain and process for the anaerobic production of 3-Hydroxypropionate. For the public, this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote rural agricultural communities, which are noticing a drop in corn and ethanol demand due to electric vehicle adoption and other economic and political factors.