Acrylic Acid Bio-Based Production Pathway Engineering Service

Acrylic Acid (AA) is a high-volume industrial chemical crucial for producing superabsorbent polymers, coatings, and adhesives. The market is overwhelmingly dominated by petrochemical synthesis, which results in high emissions and significant environmental impact . Furthermore, current bio-based efforts are hampered by incomplete biosynthesis pathways and the toxicity of the product to microbial hosts, leading to low titers.

CD Biosynsis offers a targeted metabolic engineering service to establish a more sustainable production route for acrylic acid. Our approach centers on the reconstruction of a functional metabolic pathway in Pseudomonas putida , leveraging its robustness and ability to utilize diverse feedstocks. This is coupled with the directed evolution of the 3-hydroxypropionate dehydratase (3-HPDH) enzyme , a critical bottleneck, to enhance its activity and stability. We aim to establish a platform that explores high-flux biosynthesis of acrylic acid, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional methods.

Pain Points

Transitioning acrylic acid production to a biological platform faces several critical technical obstacles:

• Environmental Cost of Petrochemical Synthesis: Traditional production methods (e.g., propylene oxidation) are highly polluting and energy-intensive , driving the need for cleaner alternatives.
• Incomplete or Inefficient Pathways: Many potential microbial hosts lack a complete or optimized pathway from common carbon sources to 3-HP, the direct precursor to AA.
• Enzyme Bottleneck: The terminal enzyme, 3-HPDH, which converts 3-HP to AA, often exhibits low catalytic efficiency and thermal instability , representing a major rate-limiting step.
• Product Toxicity: Acrylic acid is highly toxic and inhibits microbial growth even at low concentrations, making the achievement of high product titer challenging .

Addressing these challenges requires a robust host and targeted pathway and enzyme optimization efforts.

Solutions

CD Biosynsis provides a systematic metabolic engineering approach focused on feasibility and efficiency:

Reconstruction of the Metabolic Pathway in Pseudomonas putida

           

We establish a complete, high-flux pathway from central metabolism to 3-HP in the robust host P. putida, a microorganism known for its solvent tolerance and high growth rate.

Directed Evolution of 3-Hydroxypropionate Dehydratase

We employ directed evolution and saturation mutagenesis to screen for 3-HPDH variants with enhanced catalytic turnover and improved thermal resilience , aiming to relieve the pathway bottleneck.

Host Tolerance Engineering

We explore techniques to modify the host cell envelope and efflux pumps, aiming to increase the host's tolerance to the inherently toxic acrylic acid product.

Dynamic Pathway Control

We implement dynamic gene expression systems (e.g., biosensors) that aim to balance cell growth and production phase , potentially mitigating the toxicity effects during accumulation.

Our systematic approach explores the potential for more efficient and sustainable acrylic acid bioproduction.

Advantages

Our acrylic acid engineering service is committed to achieving the following value proposition:

Sustainability Focus

The bio-based route significantly reduces the dependence on fossil fuels and the associated high emissions of petrochemical synthesis.

Enhanced Pathway Efficiency

Directed evolution aims to reduce the 3-HPDH bottleneck, potentially leading to a more rapid conversion of the precursor ( 3-HP ).

Robust Host Performance

P. putida is a naturally resilient host, offering potential advantages in tolerance and industrial scale-up compared to standard hosts like E. coli.

Customized Strain Design

All pathway and enzyme modifications are tailored, representing a focused attempt to address specific efficiency bottlenecks for clients.

Process Optimization Potential

The engineered system offers a potential platform for advanced fermentation strategies to maximize final productivity under toxic conditions.

We provide a biosynthetic platform aimed at transitioning toward sustainable acrylic acid production.

Process

Our Acrylic Acid strain engineering service follows a standardized, investigative research workflow:

• Pathway Mapping and Host Selection: Confirm the feasibility of the 3-HP route in P. putida. Identify the necessary gene sets for complete 3-HP synthesis.
• 3-HPDH Directed Evolution: Conduct multiple rounds of mutagenesis and high-throughput screening to identify enzyme variants with improved activity and stability against high 3-HP concentrations.
• Pathway Integration and Balancing: Integrate the complete 3-HP pathway into P. putida. Use genetic circuit design to tune expression levels to manage metabolic flux.
• Toxicity and Tolerance Engineering: Explore gene edits or additions aimed at improving the host's resistance to the product ( AA ).
• Fermentation Feasibility Assessment: Perform batch and fed-batch fermentation to assess final titer, yield, and product purity under controlled conditions.
• Result Report Output: Compile a Strain Engineering Experimental Report detailing enzyme kinetics, genetic modifications, and fermentation performance data, reflecting the project's findings and potential for scale-up.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely feedback regarding efficiency and feasibility milestones.

Explore the potential for sustainable acrylic acid production. CD Biosynsis provides customized strain engineering solutions:

• Detailed Enzyme Kinetic and Stability Analysis Report , reflecting the performance of the evolved 3-HPDH variants.
• Consultation on fermentation strategies designed to manage product toxicity and separation challenges.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on titer and purity , essential for assessing the feasibility of industrial transition.