Systematic Mining and Evaluation of the Sesquiterpene Skeletons as High Energy Aviation Fuel Molecules

Abstract

Sesquiterpenes have been identified as promising ingredients for aviation fuels due to their high energy density and combustion heat properties. Despite the characterization of numerous sesquiterpene structures, studies testing their performance properties and feasibility as fuels are scarce. In this study, 122 sesquiterpenoid skeleton compounds, obtained from existing literature reports, are tested using group contribution and gaussian quantum chemistry methods to assess their potential as high‐energy aviation fuels. Seventeen sesquiterpene compounds exhibit good predictive performance and nine compounds are further selected for overproduction in yeast. Through fed‐batch fermentation, all compounds achieve the highest reported titers to date. Subsequently, three representative products, pentalenene, presilphiperfol‐1‐ene, and α‐farnesene, are selected, produced, purified in large quantities, and tested for use as potential fuels. The performance of pentalenene, presilphiperfol‐1‐ene, and their derivatives reveals favorable prospects as high‐energy aviation fuels.

Integration of genome-scale metabolic model with biorefinery process model reveals market-competitive carbon-negative sustainable aviation fuel utilizing microbial cell mass lipids and biogenic CO2

“…The advancements in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering show significant promise in improving the titer, rate, and yield of target molecules. This potential extends to achieving pathway-dependent theoretical yields using various microbial hosts: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, Rhodosporidium toruloides, and S. cerevisiae (Kirby et al 2021;Liu et al 2021;Wang et al 2022a;Wang et al 2022b;Huang et al 2023). The majority of reported titers, rates, and yields of terpenes from bench-scale studies (Table A1) are below 5 g/L, 0.15 g/L/h, and 35% of the theoretical yield, primarily utilizing glucose as the sole carbon source.…”

Catalytic Mechanism and Heterologous Biosynthesis Application of Sesquiterpene Synthases

“…Zealexin A1 is a small-molecule secondary metabolite synthesized by plants under biotic or abiotic stress, which is resistant to disease, insects, and drought. , Patchouli essential oil, which is rich in a variety of sesquiterpenes, acts as a fixative in the perfume and cosmetics industry for its long-lasting fragrance and slow volatilization . Other sesquiterpenes, such as α-farnesene and bisabolene, have been identified as promising ingredients for aviation fuels due to their high energy density and combustion heat characteristics . At present, the natural plant extraction and chemical synthesis of sesquiterpenes have the limitations of low yield and high toxicity, which constrain its large-scale production.…”

“…5 Other sesquiterpenes, such as α-farnesene and bisabolene, have been identified as promising ingredients for aviation fuels due to their high energy density and combustion heat characteristics. 6 At present, the natural plant extraction and chemical synthesis of sesquiterpenes have the limitations of low yield and high toxicity, which constrain its large-scale production. With the development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, heterologous biosynthesis has been applied to produce sesquiterpenes.…”

Enzyme and Metabolic Engineering Strategies for Biosynthesis of α-Farnesene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

“…17,18 According to studies, approximately 25.5 g/L α-farnesene has been obtained from engineered Y. lipolytica 17 and 38.8 and 10.4 g/L α-farnesene produced by S. cerevisiae. 13,19 In other microorganisms, only low-level α-farnesene production has been reported, such as 2.6 g/L in P. pastoris, 15 1.1 g/L in E. coli, 20 and 13.0 mg/L in Synechococcus elongatus. 21 Despite various effective metabolic engineering strategies used to improve α-farnesene production in various strains, the maximum titer of α-farnesene remains far lower than that of β-farnesene (approximately 130 g/L in engineered S. cerevisiae).…”

“…lipolytica and 38.8 and 10.4 g/L α-farnesene produced by S. cerevisiae. , In other microorganisms, only low-level α-farnesene production has been reported, such as 2.6 g/L in P. pastoris, 1.1 g/L in E.…”