Isopropanol IPA Engineering Service

Isopropanol (IPA) is one of the most widely used industrial chemicals globally, serving as a critical component in Solvents/Disinfectants, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and electronics cleaning. The current supply chain is highly vulnerable: Traditionally petrochemical-derived from Propylene. This reliance on volatile fossil fuel feedstocks results in price instability and a large carbon footprint.

CD Biosynsis offers a two-stage biological solution for sustainable IPA production: Metabolic Engineering: Introduce a synthetic pathway in E. coli or yeast to produce Isopropanol from Acetone (a Clostridial by-product) using Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase. This enzymatic reduction offers high specificity. Crucially, we Engineer the host to channel carbon flux to Acetone production from renewable sugars, integrating the two steps into an efficient fermentation process to replace petroleum-based synthesis entirely.

Pain Points

The traditional petrochemical synthesis of Isopropanol IPA suffers from these issues:

• Petrochemical Dependency: The method involves the hydration of petroleum-derived Propylene, tying IPA pricing to crude oil market volatility and sustainability concerns.
• High Energy Requirement: The catalytic process requires high pressures and temperatures for efficient Propylene hydration, leading to high manufacturing energy costs.
• Corrosive Side Reactions: The indirect method using sulfuric acid catalysis is highly corrosive and generates acidic waste, requiring costly treatment.
• Non-Renewable Source: IPA production from Propylene is entirely fossil-fuel based, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

A biological process provides a direct, low-temperature, and sustainable alternative to petrochemical synthesis.

Solutions

CD Biosynsis engineers an integrated Acetone-to-IPA biocatalytic route:

Acetone Reduction to IPA Pathway

           

We introduce a synthetic pathway using Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase SADH to convert Acetone to IPA in E. coli or yeast.

Enhanced Acetone Precursor Supply

We engineer the host to channel carbon flux from sugar e.g. glucose to Acetone production, creating a direct Acetone supply chain for SADH.

Cofactor Regeneration Optimization

SADH requires a cofactor NADPH. We metabolically optimize NADPH regeneration pathways e.g. pentose phosphate pathway to ensure sufficient reducing power for IPA synthesis.

Solvent Tolerance and Export

We engineer the host for increased tolerance to IPA and Acetone and introduce efflux pumps to continuously secrete the product, boosting titer.

This biological pathway is renewable, highly selective, and operates under ambient conditions.

Advantages

Our Isopropanol IPA engineering service offers these core benefits:

100 percent Bio-Based Production

Production from renewable sugars completely eliminates reliance on Propylene and petroleum.

Mild Operating Conditions Icon

Enzymatic conversion occurs at low temperature and pressure, drastically reducing energy consumption compared to petrochemical routes.

High Specificity Conversion

SADH catalysis is highly selective Acetone-to-IPA, minimizing byproducts and simplifying purification.

Reduced Waste Streams

The non-corrosive, aqueous fermentation process eliminates the harsh acidic waste associated with petrochemical synthesis.

Cost-Effective Titer Achievement

Metabolic flux optimization and tolerance improvement lead to competitive IPA titers for economical downstream processing.

We provide a sustainable and cost-competitive path for IPA production from renewable sources.

Process

Our Isopropanol IPA engineering service follows a rigorous, multi-stage research workflow:

• Acetone Precursor Pathway Design: Engineer the host microbe e.g. E. coli to overproduce Acetone from glucose by optimizing acetyl-CoA pathway and Acetone decarboxylase.
• SADH Enzyme Cloning and Screening: Identify and clone Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase genes from various organisms and screen for maximal Acetone to IPA conversion efficiency.
• Cofactor and Toxicity Optimization: Engineer NADPH regeneration pathways and implement membrane or efflux pump modifications to enhance IPA tolerance and titer.
• Fermentation Protocol Development: Develop fed-batch or continuous fermentation protocols to maximize Acetone supply and IPA production rate under ideal pH and temperature.
• Product Purification and Purity Validation: Implement efficient downstream recovery methods e.g. gas stripping and distillation and validate IPA purity via GC or HPLC.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely feedback regarding yield and product tolerance attributes.

Explore the potential for a sustainable, cost-effective Isopropanol IPA supply. CD Biosynsis provides customized strain and process engineering solutions:

• Detailed IPA Titer, Yield, and Purity Reports g/L, percent theoretical, percent chromatographic.
• Consultation on integrated in situ product removal systems to counteract solvent toxicity.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on SADH activity, NADPH availability, and strain stability under high IPA concentrations.