| Biorenewable technology is a developing field of science that researches alternative sources for petroleum products like fuels, plastics, paints, etc. The DoE biomass program has identified the 12 top chemicals that can be produced from biomass and further processed to replace many petroleum products; 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP) is a top 12 chemical that can be used to produce plastics, paints, tires, and other consumer products. This thesis describes the attempts to produce 3HP from glucose in E. coli and from syngas in R. rubrum. Malonyl CoA reductase from C. aurantiacus and R. castenholzii was cloned and expressed in E. coli and R. rubrum respectively. This enzyme converts malonyl-CoA (a central metabolic intermediate) to 3-HP. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed recombinant E. coli and R. rubrum produced 3HP in low levels. The quantity of 3-HP produced is not economical for commercial production so further studies were conducted to increase 3HP production. |
