Biosynthesis of polycyclopropanated high energy biofuels

Pablo Cruz-Morales, Kevin Yin, Alexander Landera, John R. Cort, Robert P. Young, Jennifer E. Kyle, Robert Bertrand, Anthony T. Iavarone, Suneil Acharya, Aidan Cowan, Yan Chen, Jennifer W. Gin, Corinne D. Scown, Christopher J. Petzold, Carolina Araujo-Barcelos, Eric Sundstrom, Anthe George, Yuzhong Liu, Sarah Klass, Alberto A. NavaJay D. Keasling*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

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Abstract

Cyclopropane-functionalized hydrocarbons are excellent fuels due their high energy density. However, the organic synthesis of these molecules is challenging. In this work, we produced polycyclopropanated fatty acids in bacteria. These molecules can be converted into renewable fuels for energy-demanding applications such as shipping, long-haul transport, aviation, and rocketry. We explored the chemical diversity encoded in thousands of bacterial genomes to identify and repurpose naturally occurring cyclopropanated molecules. We identified a set of candidate iterative polyketide synthases (iPKSs) predicted to produce polycyclopropanated fatty acids (POP-FAs), expressed them in Streptomyces coelicolor, and produced POP-FAs. We determined the structure of the molecules and increased their production 22-fold. Finally, we produced polycyclopropanated fatty acid methyl esters (POP-FAMEs). Our POP fuel candidates can have net heating values of more than 50 MJ/L. Our research shows that the POP-FAMEs and other POPs have the energetic properties for energy-demanding applications for which sustainable alternatives are scarce.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJoule
Volume6
Issue number7
Pages (from-to)1590-1605
Number of pages16
ISSN2542-4785
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Biofuels
  • Polycyclopropanated fatty acid methyl esters
  • Polyketide synthase
  • POP-FAME
  • Rocket fuel
  • Sustainability

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