Selective Microbial Oxidations in Industry: Oxidations of Alkanes, Fatty Acids, Heterocyclic Compounds, Aromatic Compounds and Glycerol Using Native or Recombinant Microorganisms

Enzymatic Hydroxylations of sp3-Carbons

“…The monooxygenase families CYP4, CYP152, and CYP153 , hydroxylate the terminal C–H bonds of alkanes and fatty acids 50 .These alcohols can further be oxidized by dehydrogenases leading to long-chain dicarboxylic acids (DCAs), a valuable chemical intermediate for polymers, glues, esters, and surfactants (Scheme A). DCAs ranging from C 9 to C 12 are chemically produced in large quantities. , The demand of dodecanedioic acid DDDA is estimated to exceed 90.4 kilotons per month in 2023. , Diacid concentrations higher than 100 g L –1 at a > 100 m 3 fermentation scale could be enzymatically produced after enhancement of P450 expression with volumetric productivity higher than 1 g L –1 h –1 …”

Combinatorial Engineering of Yarrowia lipolytica as a Promising Cell Biorefinery Platform for the de novo Production of Multi-Purpose Long Chain Dicarboxylic Acids

“…In this scenario, a minimum process productivity of 0.001 g/L·h can justify large-scale bioprocessing from an economic standpoint [19]. The LCDCAs have relatively high selling price, depending on their purity, and therefore are outstanding targets for white biotechnology [12]. Our study is the first report on engineering Y. lipolytica for the efficient de novo production of LCDCAs from glycerol.…”

Lipid biotechnology: Industrially relevant production processes

“…The monooxygenase families CYP4, CYP52 and CYP102 hydroxylate alkane and fatty acid-based substrates [27]. In combination with dehydrogenases, the terminal oxidation of fatty acids with CYP52 into long chain dicarboxylic acids is of industrial significance [28].…”

“…Dihydroxyacetone, produced by Merck KGaA on the scale of .1000 tonnes, can be used as a chemical intermediate and as a tanning agent in the cosmetic industry. It is obtained by selective microbial oxidation of the 2-OH group of glycerol with Gluconobacter oxydans [28]. The process is characterised by a strong substrate and product inhibition.…”

“…Several classes of monooxygenases are able to convert alkanes into different types of oxidised compounds [27,28,68]. A process of industrial relevance is the terminal oxidation of carboxylic acids or linear alkanes into dicarboxylic acids.…”