1,3-Propanediol is a linear aliphatic glycol with two functional groups that may be used for the chemical synthesis of several compounds. For instance, it can be used for the polycondensations to synthesize polyesters, polyethers and polyurethanes. As a bulk chemical, it also can be used in the production of cosmetics, foods, lubricants, and drugs. Notably, bio-based 1,3-propanediol (bio-PDO) appears to be more attractive due to their low cost, environmental friendliness, low carbon footprint.
Synthesis of Bio-based 1,3-Propanediol
1,3-Propanediol are generally produced from acrolein or ethylene oxide. While a bioprocess for 1,3-propanediol preparation is an attractive option compared with the traditional chemical ones because of the relatively low cost, mild reaction conditions and more environmentally friendly processes. And more and more attention has been paid to microbial production, either based on glycerol or on glucose.
Crude glycerol as a major byproduct of the biodiesel industries can be a prospective feedstock for 1,3-propanediol production. Several strains used in the bioprocess of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol are listed in figure 1[1].
Fig. 1 The wild-type strain in 1,3-propanediol production
The mechanism of glycerol conversion involves two pathway branches: the oxidative branch and the reductive branch. In the oxidative branch, glycerol is oxidized to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) by glycerol dehydrogenase (GDH) encoded by the dhaD gene, resulting in the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). In the reductive branch, glycerol dehydratase (GDHt) catalyzes the reaction from glycerol to 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) and the latter is further reduced to 1,3-propanediol by 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase (PDOR), along with the consumption of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide generated in the oxidative branch. Synthesis pathway of bio-based 1,3-propanediol from glycerol is in figure 2[2].
Fig. 2 Synthesis pathway of bio-based 1,3-propanediol from glycerol
While no natural microorganisms have been found to convert sugars to 1,3-propanediol directly, the adoption of two-stage and co-fermentation processes was shown to enable a better control of cultivation conditions and a wider flexibility in terms of substrate utilization. General pathways to obtain 1,3-propanediol from glucose are showed in figure 3[3].
Fig. 3 General pathways of bio-based 1,3-propanediol from glucose
Our 1,3-Propanediol
Our biosynthetic 1,3-propanediol is obtained by fermentation of glycerol generated from palm oil. Basic properties are listed in the following table:
| Product Name | Biosynthetic 1,3-propanediol, bio-based 1,3-PDO, bio-PDO |
| Catalog | BIOS16181516 |
| Appearance | Clear liquid |
| Content | ≥ 99.9% (GC) |
| Moisture | ≤ 0.2 % |
| Acidity (as Acetic) | ≤ 0.013% |
| Chroma (Hazen) | ≤ 10 |
| Melting point | -27 ℃ |
| Boiling Point | 210-214 ℃ |
| Specific Gravity | 1.05 (25 ℃) |
| Applications | It's an important chemical raw material, which is widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceutical intermediates, coatings, lubricants, inks and other fields.
Another important use is to polymerize with terephthalic acid (PTA) to produce poly-p-benzene. Propylene glycol dicarboxylate (PTT) |
Alfa Chemistry is a professional supplier of biosynthetic 1,3-propanediol. For high quality products, professional technical service, use suggestion and latest industry news, please feel free to contact us.
References
- Liu, H., Xu, Y., Zheng, Z., & Liu, D. 1,3-Propanediol and its copolymers: Research, development and industrialization. Biotechnology Journal, 2010, 5(11), 1137-1148.
- E. Fokum, H. M. Zabed, J. Yun, et al. Recent technological and strategical developments in the biomanufacturing of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 18, 2467-2490.
- Frazão, C.J.R., Trichez, D., Serrano-Bataille, H. et al. Construction of a synthetic pathway for the production of 1,3-propanediol from glucose. Sci Rep, 2019, 9, 11576.
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