MP1: a novel enzyme for bio-manufacturing Adipic Acid

** 问题：** 己二酸（ADP;又名己二酸）是一种重要的化学物质。它用于制造许多常见的材料，包括聚氨酯、PVC生产中使用的增塑剂和尼龙6，6（其消耗所制造的所有ADP的约75%）ADP通过多步反应制造：Ni/Al 2 O3）和氢气进料。使用空气加金属催化剂（例如，钴），以产生环己酮和环己醇混合物（KA油）。KA油被一氧化氮和偏钒酸铜/铵氧化以生产ADP \[转化率~ 95%\]。工业ADP生产会导致严重的环境问题：* 全球约10%的一氧化氮（NOx）排放来自ADP生产。*苯原料是一种不可再生的石油化合物和挥发性致癌物。废金属催化剂产生有毒废物流。机会：** Mellizyme正在设计一种新的酶“MP 1”，最近发现它具有在空气中将环己烷转化为ADP的活性，从而实现更绿色的ADP生产方法。** 部署合成生物学方法来设计MP 1，以提高其热稳定性，转化率速度，并减少不需要的副产物的形成。该项目的成果将帮助Mellizyme规划未来的合作工业示范项目，展示如何将MP 1大规模用于工业ADP生产。* ADP生产的化学合成方法存在环己烷转化率低和选择性问题，导致形成二酸污染物，造成纯化问题。NOx的催化降解需要额外的资本和能源支出。生物质衍生路线通常需要昂贵的贵金属催化剂。** MP 1创新/USP * MP 1在大气压下工作，温度低于现有方法。与ADP生产的常规路线所需的高压和高温相比，这显著降低了使用MP 1生产ADP的能源需求。* MP 1不需要金属催化剂，保护稀有金属，并阻止有毒金属废物的形成。氮氧化物零排放，支持净零排放目标。

**PROBLEM:** Adipic acid (ADP; aka hexanedioic acid) is an important chemical. It is used for manufacturing many common materials including polyurethanes, plasticisers used in PVC production, and Nylon 6,6 (which consumes ~75% of all ADP made).ADP is manufactured via a multi-step reaction:* Benzene is reduced to cyclohexane at high-pressures and high temperatures using a catalyst (e.g., Ni/Al2O3) and a hydrogen feed.* Cyclohexane is oxidized using air plus a metal catalyst (e.g., cobalt) to generate a cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol mixture (KA oil).* KA oil is oxidized with nitric oxide and copper/ammonium metavanadate to produce ADP \[conversion yield ~95%\].Industrial ADP manufacturing causes significant environmental problems:* Around 10% of global nitric oxide (NOx) emissions are from ADP production.* The benzene feedstock is a non-renewable petroleum compound and volatile carcinogen.* Spent metal catalysts create toxic waste streams.**OPPORTUNITY:** Mellizyme are engineering a novel enzyme 'MP1' and have recently identified that it exhibits activity that enables the conversion of cyclohexane to ADP in air, enabling a greener ADP manufacturing method.**KEY PROJECT OBJECTIVES:** Deploy synthetic biology approaches to engineer MP1 to increase its thermostability, conversion rate speed, and diminish the formation of unwanted by-products. The project outputs will help Mellizyme to plan a future collaborative industrial demonstrator project showing how MP1 can be used at-scale for industrial ADP manufacturing.**STATE-OF-THE-ART LIMITATIONS*** Chemosynthetic methods of ADP manufacture suffer low conversion rates of cyclohexane and selectivity issues, leading to the formation of diacid contaminants, posing purification problems.* Catalytic degradation of NOx requires additional capital and energy expenditures.* Biomass-derived routes frequently require expensive precious metal catalysts.**MP1 INNOVATIONS/USPs*** MP1 works at atmospheric pressure and at a lower temperature than existing methods. This significantly reduces the energy requirement for ADP manufacturing using MP1 when compared to the high-pressures and high temperatures needed for the usual routes by which ADP is manufactured.* MP1 removes the need for metal catalysts, preserving rare metals, and stopping toxic metal waste formation.* Zero NOx production, supporting net zero targets.