Abstract:
This disclosure relates to genome-scale attenuation or knockout strategies for directing carbon flux to certain carbon based building blocks within the 7-aminoheptanoic acid (7-AHA) and 6-aminohexanoic acid (6-AHA) biosynthesis pathways, for example, to achieve reduced flux to unwanted side products while achieving increased production of desired intermediates and end products. This disclosure also relates to non-naturally occurring mutant bacterial strains comprising one or more gene disruptions in aldehyde reductase and/or aldehyde dehydrogenase genes that are generated to direct carbon flux to certain carbon based building blocks. This disclosure further relates to a method for enhancing production of carbon based building blocks by generating non-naturally occurring mutant bacterial strains, culturing said mutant bacterial strains in the presence of suitable substrates or under desired growth conditions, and substantially purifying the desired end product.
Abstract:
This document describes biochemical pathways for producing a difunctional product having an odd number of carbon atoms in vitro or in a recombinant host, or salts or derivatives thereof, by forming two terminal functional groups selected from carboxyl, amine, formyl, and hydroxyl groups in an aliphatic carbon chain backbone having an odd number of carbon atoms synthesized from (i) acetyl-CoA and propanedioyl-CoA via one or more cycles of methyl ester shielded carbon chain elongation or (ii) propanedioyl-[acp] via one or more cycles of methyl ester shielded carbon chain elongation. The biochemical pathways and metabolic engineering and cultivation strategies described herein rely on enzymes or homologs accepting methyl ester shielded aliphatic carbon chain backbones and maintaining the methyl ester shield for at least one further enzymatic step following one or more cycles of methyl ester shielded carbon chain elongation.
Abstract:
Disclosed are methods for regulating biosynthesis of at least one of pimelic acid, 7-aminoheptanoic acid, 7-hydroxyheptanoic acid, heptamethylenediamine, 7-aminohelptanol and 1,7-heptanediol (C7 building blocks) using a pathway having a pimeloyl-ACP intermediate, the method including the step of downregulating the activity of BioF. Also disclosed are recombinant hosts by fermentation in which the above methods are performed. Further disclosed are recombinant hosts for producing pimeloyl-ACP, the recombinant host including a deletion of a bioF gene.
Abstract:
Disclosed are methods for producing butadiene from one or more of several diverse feedstocks including bioderived feedstocks, renewable feedstocks, petrochemical feedstocks and natural gas.
Abstract:
Disclosed are technical fibers and yarns made with partially aromatic polyamides and a fiber having vapor phase action such as an FR cellulosic fiber. Fabrics made from such fibers and yarns demonstrate superior flame retardancy over traditional flame retardant nylon 6,6 fabrics. Further, the disclosed fibers and yarns, when blended with other flame retardant fibers, do not demonstrate the dangerous “scaffolding effect” common with flame retardant nylon 6,6 blended fabrics.
Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to processes for production of alkene products from their alkene precursors, such as 3-hydroxyacid and alcohols, via either (1) high temperature reactive distillation with steam contact at optimal pH, (2) solvent extraction and Mulzer dehydration, (3) solid phase adsorption, desorption into an organic solvent and catalytic reaction and (4) high temperature reactive distillation with steam contact at optimal pH followed by catalytic conversion.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein is the preparation of woven fabrics suitable for use in manufacturing vehicle airbags. Such fabrics are woven from a plurality of polymeric, e.g., polyamide, warp and weft tapes which have preferably been slitted, preferably in the machine direction, from a thermoplastic polymer film, and preferably from such a film which has been drawn at least in the machine direction. The resulting fabrics exhibit both the relatively low basis weight, stiffness and small packing volume typical of nylon films, and the relatively high tear strength and high damage tolerance of yarn-based woven airbag fabrics.
Abstract:
Included are segmented polyurethane elastic fibers or spandex fibers, capable of bonding to polymer fiber such as nylon or polyamide fibers, in addition to bonding to itself, for apparel textile applications. More particularly the invention relates to bicomponent spandex fibers, with a heat resistant core and a heat sensitive sheath, spun from polymer solutions. The nylon fabrics containing such spandex fibers have enhanced stretch performance and improved surface appearance after heat treatment to activate the fusing and bonding between nylon fibers and spandex fibers.
Abstract:
The invention provides methods useful in the industrial scale process for hydrocyanation of butadiene to adiponitrile for recycle of unwanted byproduct 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile (2M3BN) by conversion to process intermediate pentenenitrile. The invention provides a process for generating catalysts useful for carrying out the hydrocyanation of butadiene to adiponitrile, the process comprising contacting the 2M3BN and a solution of a nickel-ligand catalyst in cis-2-pentenenitrile (cis-2PN), trans-2-pentenenitrile (trans-2PN), or a mixture thereof. The improved methods of the invention can provide improved catalyst solubility for bidentate ligands without a requirement for a Lewis acid catalyst promoter such as zinc chloride to be present.
Abstract:
The invention provides a method of forming a phosphonate diester compound from a ligand hydrolysis product (LHP) of a phosphite ligand used in a nickel-phosphite hydrocyanation catalyst, such as for conversion of 3-pentenenitrile to adiponitrile, which serves to climinate acidic LHP compound for a hydrocyanation reaction milieu where the acidic LHP can catalyze further catalyst ligand destruction. The invention further provides phosphonate disester compounds prepared by alkylation of diarylphosphite LHP in the presence of a nickel-phosphite catalyst comprising a bidentate ligand, and a continuous hydrocyanation process for production of adiponitrile wherein catalyst ligand breakdown is inhibited through inactivation of ligand hydrolysis products towards further breakdown. A method of stabilizing a hydrocyanation catalyst is provided.