18-03: Production of 1,3 Propandiol, the Vogelbusch process

1,3-Propanediol has long been considered a specialty chemical due to the high costs connected to its production and the narrow application spectrum. About a decade ago, the application as a monomer in a polymerization process producing polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) led to an increased demand for 1,3-propanediol. 1,3-Propanediol can replace classic glycols for the production of polyurethanes, polyesters and polyethers (Kaur et al., 2012 and Johnson and Taconi, 2007).

The increased requirement for 1,3-propanediol has also enhanced efforts to produce the substance biotechnologically. The natural carbon source for the production of 1,3-propanediol is glycerol, and the ability of microorganisms to convert glycerol into 1,3-propanediol has first been described over a century ago (Freund, 1881).

Here we present the natural producer Lactobacillus diolivorans as favourable production organism of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol. Different cultivation parameters, such as oxygen supply, feeding-strategy, or medium composition have been tested in batch and fed-batch cultivations. The 1,3-propanediol concentration obtained in batch cultivations was 41.7 g/l. This could be increased to 73.7 g/l in a fed-batch co-feeding glucose and glycerol with a molar ratio of 0.1. Yeast extract as part of the MRS cultivation medium could be replaced by nicotinic acid and riboflavin. Furthermore, the addition of Vitamin B₁₂ to the culture medium increased production by 15% to a final titer of 84.5 g/l 1,3-propanediol.

Keywords: 1,3-Propanediol; Microbial conversion of glycerol; Glycerol dehydratase; Vitamin B12; Biochemical production