Bio-derived Feedstocks for Sustainable, UK-Based Manufacture of Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Intermediates

The chemical and pharmaceutical industries are currently reliant on petrochemical derived intermediates for the synthesis of a wide range of valuable products. Decreasing petrochemical reserves and concerns over costs and greenhouse gas emissions are now driving the search for renewable sources of organic synthons. This project aims to establish a range of new technologies to enable the synthesis of a range of chemicals from sugar beet pulp (SBP) in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. The UK is self-sufficient in the production of SBP which is a by-product of sugar beet production (8 million tonnes grown per year) and processing. Currently SBP is dried in an energy intensive process and then used for animal feed. The ability to convert SBP into chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates will therefore have significant economic and environmental benefits.

SBP is a complex feedstock rich in carbohydrate (nearly 80% by weight). The carbohydrate is made up of roughly equal proportions of 3 biological polymers; cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin. If the processing of SBP is to be cost-effective it will be necessary to find uses for each of these substances. Here we propose a biorefinery approach for the selective breakdown of all 3 polymers, purification of the breakdown compounds and their use to synthesise a range of added value products such as speciality chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biodegradable polymers. It is already well known that cellulose can be broken down into hexose sugars and fermented to ethanol for use in biofuels. Here we will focus on the release of galacturonic acid (from pectin) and arabinose (from hemicellulose) and their conversion, by chemical or enzymatic means, into added value products. We will also exploit the new principles of Synthetic Biology to explore the feasibility of metabolically engineering microbial cells to simultaneously breakdown the polymeric feed material and synthesise a desired product, such as aromatic compounds, in a single integrated process.

In conducting this research we will adopt a holistic, systems-led, approach to biorefinery design and operation. Computer-based modelling tools will be used to assess the efficiency of raw material, water and energy utilisation. Economic and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approaches will then be employed to identify the most cost-effective and environmentally benign product and process combinations. The project is supported by a range of industrial partners from raw material producer to intermediate technology providers and end-user chemical and pharmaceutical companies. This is crucial in providing business and socio-economic insights regarding the adoption of renewable resources into their current product portfolios. The company partners will also provide the material and equipment resources for the large-scale verification of project outcomes and their ultimate transition into commercial manufacture.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS RESEARCH? There will be a range of academic, industrial and societal benefits arising from this research. Academics will benefit as described in the previous section. There will also be benefits for a range of UK-based companies given the intention to develop technologies that help embed manufacturing in the UK. The initial beneficiaries will be members of the industrial Steering Group who will have the ability to shape the research as it progresses and gain early insights to the research findings and the supply chain structures necessary to maximise the economic potential of the technologies developed. Once the arising IP is secured the wider UK industrial community will benefit from access to the new bioprocess development tools and knowledge of biorefinery process economics and environmental footprint. The UK society and economy will benefit from replacement of fossil fuels and hydrocarbons with renewable resources and opportunities for job creation. This in turn will help the UK government meet its targets on greenhouse gas emissions and the transition to a low carbon economy. The collaboration between bioprocess engineers, process modellers, chemists and synthetic biologists will ensure effective knowledge and skills transfer between the science and engineering base and UK industry. This will help expand their position in the global renewable technologies marketplace and recognises the UK as a good place to attract further R&D investment.

HOW WILL THEY BENEFIT? Steering Group members will benefit from first refusal to license IP arising from the project and the opportunity to review all publications in advance of submission. The IP we expect to generate will relate to new biocatalysts, synthetic routes, USD devices and modelling software. The intention of the research is to help realise an integrated manufacturing supply chain from renewable raw materials to speciality chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates. Raw material suppliers will thus benefit from new added value products and markets for their waste streams. Chemical and equipment suppliers will be provided with new business opportunities focused on novel (bio)catalysts and equipment. End user chemical and pharmaceutical companies will benefit from sustainable and reliable sources of their products and key intermediates. Steering Group companies will also benefit from access to the highly skilled researchers trained in the programme as mentioned earlier. In this way the project will help the whole sector realise cost-effective and sustainable UK-based manufacture.

WHAT WILL BE DONE TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BENEFIT? The PI and CoI's in the 3 collaborating centres have extensive experience of working with industry and the translation of research findings into industrial practice (see Part 1 Track Record). The overriding priorities will be to first establish a project consortium agreement and then to quickly secure IP arising from the work for the benefit of consortium members. Each of the participating institutions have established technology transfer offices who will help with patent applications and actively pursue technology licensing agreements. Funds have been requested to support a range of outreach and impact activities related to knowledge exchange and dissemination. One of the initial activities will be to launch an MBI training programme module on 'Industrial Biotechnology & Biorefining'. This will provide hands-on training opportunities with the USD devices and software tools established in the project. Later, through involvement of the Chemistry Innovation and Bioscience KTNs we will organise a series of project dissemination events to benefit the wider academic and industrial communities. These will be used to explore opportunities for further collaboration with other UK groups and commercial exploitation of project IP. Further details can be found in the Pathways to Impact document.