Microbial Propane Synthesis Based on Butanol Pathway

Propane is a hydrocarbon used in a wide range of applications and is a target in research for developing new renewable fuels. Patrik R. Jones and Nigel S. Scrutton from University of Turku in Finland and University of Manchester in UK, respectively, constructed and evaluated alternative microbial pathways for propane production. The new pathways were derived from butanol pathways.

Four different synthetic pathways for the production of propane and butanol were assembled and evaluated. The highest butanol titres were achieved with the atoB-adhE2 and atoB-TPC7 routes. When aldehyde deformylating oxygenase (ADO) was co-expressed with these 2 pathways, they also produced propane. The atoB-TPC7-ADO pathway was the most effective in producing propane.

This study expands the metabolic toolbox for renewable propane production and provides insight and understanding on the development of next-generation biofuel pathways.