OPX Biotechnologies announced progress on its bacteria based bioconversion of sugars to acrylic acid. It has engaged the engineering company Merrick to work on the plans.
The photo at right shows
President Chas Eggert on the right. Chas is supposed to be a 32 year veteran of the chemical industry, but he looks pretty youthful here.
Based on their patent
WO/2010/011874 which they acquired from the University of Colorado, they have microbes, probably
e. coli, making
3-hydroxy propionic acid. This an isomer of lactic acid, 2-hydroxy propionic acid. Either isomer can be dehydrated by simple heating to make acrylic acid, but the yield is higher with the 3-hydroxy proprionic acid version. (Acrylic acid is propenoic acid.)
This patent addresses genetic modifications that prevent the 3-hydroxy propionic acid from killing the bacteria at high concentrations. In the past, the problem has been separation of 3-hydroxy propional and other organic acids that have a similar boiling point. The trick is not getting the bugs to make it, but the later separation. No word, at least publically on that.
Why is this important? Currently almost all plastics and paints are made form petroleum, as discussed in
this Depth of Processing post. There are customers who would deliberately buy from a supplier that was renewable and carbon neutral.
But are they REALLY carbon neutral? You have to feed the bacteria, and I dont know where that stuff comes from. I've heard of a guy who does microbe engineering over in the Chem E dept. Pretty hot shit. But this is good news for the dwindling oil supply standpoint.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, have you heard of the people that want to stop the production of plastic? I understand the world is polluted with it, but thats a disposal and recycling problem. I dont think people realize how much of our current lives are permeated with plastic.
Cellulosic feedstocks would be carbon neutral. Corn would just barely be neutral.
ReplyDeleteI think that banning plastic has to do with plastic bags, and it is associated with an unrealistic view of how environmentally beneficial paper bags are. I don't think banning plastic in automobiles or in refrigerator insulation makes any sense.
GT