Propylene glycol is a bulk chemical, with a huge market, which is currently exclusively produced from a chemical process using propylene as a raw material. As an alternative to this chemical process dependent on fossil carbon, we have developed a very efficient biological process for the continuous conversion of glucose to propylene glycol and an oxidized co-product at very high carbon yield and very low production of carbon dioxide.  For this purpose, we engineered Escherichia coli by a rational metabolic approach and combined it to our MetEvolTM technology for in vivo evolution.  

We will present both the performances of the developed bioprocess but also the genetic targets of the evolution in the evolved strains.