Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEEs) Bioproduction Service

Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEEs) are a key component of high-quality biodiesel and valuable fuel additives. Traditionally, FAEEs are produced via chemical transesterification of lipids using harsh catalysts (such as NaOH or KOH) under high temperature and pressure, leading to energy-intensive purification steps and toxic waste streams.

We specialize in Whole-Cell Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering to revolutionize FAEE production. Our core strategy involves engineering robust microbial hosts (yeast or bacteria) to co-express Lipase and Fatty Acid Esterase (FAE), enabling a single-step, environmentally friendly conversion of lipids and ethanol directly into FAEEs. Furthermore, we design hosts to efficiently secrete the desired product and simplify the separation of the glycerol byproduct, offering a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative to chemical synthesis.

Pain Points

The traditional chemical production of FAEEs (biodiesel) faces several major limitations:

• Use of Toxic Chemical Catalysts: Transesterification requires hazardous chemical catalysts (NaOH or KOH acids), demanding specialized safety measures and generating caustic waste.
• High Cost of Purification: The chemical reaction generates a significant glycerol byproduct, which must be separated and extensively purified from the FAEE product, adding complexity and cost.
• Energy and Process Intensity: The reaction typically requires high temperatures and pressures, contributing to the overall energy demand of the production process.
• Water Sensitivity: Chemical transesterification is highly sensitive to the presence of water or free fatty acids (FFAs) in the feedstock, requiring costly pretreatment.

A sustainable solution requires eliminating toxic chemicals and simplifying the post-reaction separation and purification steps.

Solutions

We leverage Whole-Cell Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering for clean and efficient FAEE production:

Whole-Cell Biocatalysis System

     

Engineer microbial hosts (yeast or bacteria) to act as the biocatalyst, eliminating the need for hazardous chemical agents and high temperatures.

Co-Expression of Key Enzymes

Engineer strains to co-express high-activity Lipase and Fatty Acid Esterase (FAE) for efficient, single-step conversion of lipids/oil into FAEEs using ethanol.

Product Secretion and Separation

Metabolic Engineering to design hosts that actively secrete FAEEs into the fermentation medium, simplifying product recovery and retaining the glycerol byproduct inside the cell.

Ethanol Tolerance Engineering

Optimize the host cell membrane and stress response pathways to maintain high catalytic activity even at high concentrations of ethanol, which is the reactant.

This biological route enables the production of FAEEs under mild, aqueous conditions, reducing energy use and environmental impact.

Advantages

Our FAEE Bioproduction Engineering service offers the following key benefits:

Environmentally Friendly

Eliminates the use of toxic chemical catalysts (NaOH/KOH), resulting in a cleaner, safer, and less corrosive production process.

Simplified Purification

FAEE secretion and glycerol retention simplify downstream recovery, significantly lowering purification cost compared to chemical methods.

Tolerance to Feedstock Quality

The enzymatic conversion is less sensitive to water content and free fatty acids (FFAs) in the feedstock, reducing costly pretreatment requirements.

Lower Energy Demand

The reaction occurs at mild temperatures (around 30-40°C), drastically lowering the energy input compared to high-temperature chemical processes.

High Conversion Efficiency

Optimized co-expressed enzymes ensure high catalytic turnover and near-complete conversion of the lipid substrate to the FAEE product.

We provide a specialized platform for the sustainable and cost-competitive bioproduction of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters.

Process

Our FAEE Bioproduction service follows a rigorous, multi-stage research workflow:

• Host and Enzyme Selection: Select a robust microbial host (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae or E. coli) and screen for highly active, ethanol-tolerant Lipase and FAE genes.
• Genetic Construct Design: Design and construct vectors for the stable and high-level co-expression of the chosen Lipase and FAE enzymes.
• Metabolic Engineering for Secretion: Modify the host's membrane and transport mechanisms to ensure efficient secretion of the hydrophobic FAEE product.
• Biocatalysis Optimization: Optimize fermentation parameters (pH, temperature, substrate concentration, ethanol ratio) to maximize FAEE titer and conversion rate.
• Product Recovery Validation: Develop and validate a simplified extraction protocol that leverages the engineered secretion and glycerol retention mechanism.
• Result Report Output: Deliver a detailed report including engineered strain data, bioconversion protocols, and final validated FAEE yield, titer, and purity metrics.

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

Explore the potential for a cleaner, more efficient FAEE supply. We provide customized biocatalytic production solutions:

• Detailed Conversion Efficiency and Product Purity Analysis Report, demonstrating the success of the whole-cell biocatalyst.
• Consultation on scale-up design for continuous biocatalytic reaction systems.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on final FAEE titer (g/L) and purity (percent total methyl esters), essential for fuel quality assessment.