Open Access1,3-Propanediol: production, applications and biotechnological potential
Author(s) -
Gervásio Paulo da Silva,
Jonas Contiero,
Paulo Marcelo Ávila Neto,
Cristian Jacques Bolner de Lima
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
química nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.214
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1678-7064
pISSN - 0100-4042
DOI - 10.5935/0100-4042.20140083
Subject(s) - propanediol , 1,3 propanediol , production (economics) , biochemical engineering , biology , engineering , chemistry , economics , food science , organic chemistry , fermentation , macroeconomics
1,3-propanediol is a high-value specialty chemical which has many industrial applications. Its main use is the production of the polymer polypropylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic used in the textile and automobile industries. The interest in 1,3-propanediol production from glycerol bio-conversion has increased after the employment of biodiesel by various countries, being produced by chemical synthesis from petroleum intermediates or biotechnologically by microbial fermentation. Glycerol is an abundant low-cost byproduct from biodiesel refineries, and it is the only substrate that can be naturally or enzymatically converted to 1,3-propanediol by microbial fermentation. In this review, information on 1,3-propanediol's importance, production and purification are presented, along with results from recent research on glycerol microbial conversion to 1,3-propanediol. The bio-production of this intermediate compound from glycerol is very attractive both economically and environmentally, since it allows the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable resources