SBIR Phase I: High-yield Fermentation of Sugars to Levulinic Acid

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目专注于开发一种用于生产乙酰丙酸(LA)的高产发酵路线。LA是最适合生物炼油厂生产的C5积木之一，因为它具有更高的价值、广泛的应用以及可能很快被化学工业采用。到目前为止，LA还没有生物工艺，已知的化学工艺由于成本高和产率低而没有达到商业化阶段。计算酶工程领域的世界领先者阿尔泽达发明了一种新的生化方法，将糖转化为乳酸。这个第一阶段项目的目标是通过在体外验证所提出的生化转化来证明这一概念的可行性。Arzeda将利用其酶工程平台设计所需的生物催化剂(S)，包括计算建模和设计、基因组装和酶生产。这项研究的更广泛/商业影响是推动美国？绿色？化学工业，以及在经济和环境方面加强可持续的美国生物炼油业。由于缺乏一种高产量的替代昂贵的热化学过程，一直阻碍了乙酰丙酸的广泛采用。由于LA可以通过化学或生物化学方法转化为合成橡胶(通过异戊二烯和丁烯)、生物燃料(如煤油和HMF)、聚合物(如尼龙)和聚合物添加剂(用于改变聚合物特性)，因此潜在市场每年超过200亿美元。当被认为是最终产品时，LA的交易价格比大多数商业生物炼油厂目前的产品乙醇高得多，因此可以帮助他们的产品供应多样化，并显著提高他们的利润率。应用Arzeda？S成熟的计算机酶设计技术为世界带来LA的高产发酵路线将会有很大的进步

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project focuses on the development of a high-yield fermentation route for the production of levulinic acid (LA). LA is one of the best-suited C5 building blocks for bio-refinery production due to higher value, broad applications, and likely quick adoption by the chemical industry. To date, no bioprocess for LA exists, and known chemical processes have not reached commercial stage due to high cost and lower yield. Arzeda, the world leader in computational enzyme engineering, has invented a new biochemical method to convert sugars to LA. The objective of this Phase I project is to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept by validating the proposed biochemical conversion in vitro. Arzeda will use its enzyme engineering platform to design the biocatalyst(s) needed, including computational modeling and design, gene assembly, and enzyme production. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the advancement of a U.S. ?green? chemistry industry, and strengthening, economically and environmentally, of a sustainable United States bio-refinery industry. The lack of a high-yield alternative to costly thermochemical processes has been preventing a widespread adoption of levulinic acid. Because LA can be converted, chemically or biochemically, to synthetic rubber (through isoprene and butenes), bio-fuels (such as kerosene and HMF), polymers (for instance, nylons) and polymer additives (for changing polymer characteristics), the addressable market is in excess of $20B annually. When considered as the end product, LA trades at a considerable higher price than ethanol, the current product of most commercial bio-refineries, and thus can help diversify their product offering and considerably increase their margins. Application of Arzeda?s proven technology of computational enzyme design to bring to the world a high-yield fermentation route for LA will considerably advance