Phenol
An increasing number of companies are working on global environmental protection (e.g., reducing CO2 emissions), SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and LCA studies (quantifying the environmental impact of products). Green Chemicals develops phenols effective in alleviating the environmental impact of products derived from raw petrochemical materials.
Overview of Phenol
Phenol is a type of aromatic compound widely used as a raw material for phenol resin (for automotive parts, etc.), which is essential as a molding material, polycarbonate resin (for various home appliances, OA equipment, etc.), and bisphenol A, which constitutes epoxy resin (for semiconductor encapsulation materials, etc.).
The phenol currently in circulation is produced by typical CO2-emitting petrochemical processes (e.g. Cumene process) that use oil as a raw material.
We have been developing overproduction technology for phenol with the aim of using bioprocesses to produce green chemicals from renewable plant resources to help achieve a recycling-oriented and decarbonized society.
Phenol was previously considered to be extremely difficult to produce using bioprocesses because of its protein-denaturing effect and strong cytotoxicity.
We have developed a bioprocess that uses a two-step process to achieve higher product titer of phenol while mitigating the effect of its high cytotoxicity.
Specifically, first process bacteria (responsible for multi-step reactions) are used to produce 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, a precursor in the metabolic pathway of phenol production, from sugar (which is about 1/10 less cytotoxic than phenol). Then second process bacteria (responsible for only one-step cell reaction) are used to convert 4-hydroxybenzoic acid to phenol in an extremely short time and with high yields.
We have also confirmed that the phenolic resin produced from the phenol produced through this bioprocess, and condensation and purification processes performs the same as that produced using current petrochemical processes.
Uses
| Bisphenol A |
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|---|---|
| Phenol resin |
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| Other |
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Patent Information
| Patent No.5932649 |
Coryneform bacterium transformant and method for producing phenol using same |
|---|---|
| Patent No.5932660 |
Coryneform bacterium transformant and method for producing phenol using same |
| Patent No.5996434 |
Coryneform bacterium transformant and method for producing phenol using same |
| Patent No.5887277 |
Coryneform bacterium transformant and method for producing phenol using same |