Engineering nature for gaseous hydrocarbon production
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Microbial Cell Factories Open Access
REVIEW
Engineering nature for gaseous hydrocarbon production Mohamed Amer, Helen Toogood and Nigel S. Scrutton*
Abstract The development of sustainable routes to the bio-manufacture of gaseous hydrocarbons will contribute widely to future energy needs. Their realisation would contribute towards minimising over-reliance on fossil fuels, improving air quality, reducing carbon footprints and enhancing overall energy security. Alkane gases (propane, butane and isobutane) are efficient and clean-burning fuels. They are established globally within the transportation industry and are used for domestic heating and cooking, non-greenhouse gas refrigerants and as aerosol propellants. As no natural biosynthetic routes to short chain alkanes have been discovered, de novo pathways have been engineered. These pathways incorporate one of two enzymes, either aldehyde deformylating oxygenase or fatty acid photodecarboxylase, to catalyse the final step that leads to gas formation. These new pathways are derived from established routes of fatty acid biosynthesis, reverse β-oxidation for butanol production, valine biosynthesis and amino acid degradation. Single-step production of alkane gases in vivo is also possible, where one recombinant biocatalyst can catalyse gas formation from exogenously supplied short-chain fatty acid precursors. This review explores current progress in bio-alkane gas production, and highlights the potential for implementation of scalable and sustainable commercial bioproduction hubs. Keywords: Synthetic biology, Gaseous hydrocarbons, Propane, Butane, Isobutane, Pathway engineering Background One of our biggest global challenges is to reduce the dependence on rapidly diminishing fossil fuels, which impacts climate change and has led to concerns over energy security [1]. This has led to new policies to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, increase the recycling of waste biomaterials and a switch to less polluting renewable alternatives [2]. Biofuels are now well established renewable and sustainable substitutes or additives to conventional transportation and domestic fuels. They are often less polluting, and are derived from biological processes or the chemical conversion of surplus biomass [3]. Bioethanol is the classic example, which is derived *Correspondence: [email protected] EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, BBSRC/EPSRC, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
from the fermentation of starch or sugars. It is commonly blended with fossil fuels for use in transportation. In contrast, biodiesel is produced chemically via transesterification of plant-derived oils, with a chemical composition similar to conventional diesel [3]. Biologically sourced gaseous biofuels could potentially serve as alternatives to compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG). These range from traditio
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