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Review
. 2018 Aug 29:11:234.
doi: 10.1186/s13068-018-1230-9. eCollection 2018.

Bio-production of gaseous alkenes: ethylene, isoprene, isobutene

James Wilson  1 , Sarah Gering  1 , Jessica Pinard  1 , Ryan Lucas  1 , Brandon R Briggs  1
Affiliations
Review

Bio-production of gaseous alkenes: ethylene, isoprene, isobutene

James Wilson et al. Biotechnol Biofuels. .

Abstract

To reduce emissions from petrochemical refinement, bio-production has been heralded as a way to create economically valuable compounds with fewer harmful effects. For example, gaseous alkenes are precursor molecules that can be polymerized into a variety of industrially significant compounds and have biological production pathways. Production levels, however, remain low, thus enhancing bio-production of gaseous petrochemicals for chemical precursors is critical. This review covers the metabolic pathways and production levels of the gaseous alkenes ethylene, isoprene, and isobutene. Techniques needed to drive production to higher levels are also discussed.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Petrochemical process of converting natural gas and crude oil into industrial building blocks using steam cracking, which is highly energy intensive
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pathways from glycolytic and citric acid cycle products to isoprene, ethylene, and isobutene. HMG-CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA; P5C, l-delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate; ispD, 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methylerythritol synthetase; ispE, 4-diphosphocytidyl- 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol kinase; ispF, 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase; ispG, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-methyl-d-erythritol-2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase; ispH, HMBPP reductase; IDI, IPP isomerase; PKSG, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-ACP synthase
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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