Method for the production of D-glucaric acid from green seaweed

Seaweed biomass with excellent carbon dioxide absorption capacity

This technology concerns a method of producing D-glucaric acid, which can be used as a monomer for bio-based plastic, and a method of converting D-glucuronic acid obtained from green algae to D-glucaric acid using recombinant microorganisms introduced with D-glucaric acid production genes.

The existing starch-based raw material is grains, which are edible crops. The use of lignocellulose from woody or herbaceous plants, which is an inedible biomass, has the disadvantage of requiring a complex and expensive pretreatment process to remove lignin, a non-degradable aromatic polymer. To solve this problem, this technology introduces only two genes using seaweed, a non-edible biomass, so it can shorten the existing complex reaction and proposes a method to effectively produce D-glucaric acid.

The seaweed biomass used in this technology has a faster growth rate than terrestrial biomass, can be cultivated in large quantities in the ocean, and has an excellent carbon dioxide absorption ability, allowing it to be used as a raw material for next-generation bioplastics. Since it does not contain lignin, it is easy to saccharify, so it will be in the spotlight as a biomass.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• Green algae raw material is washed in cold water and dried to minimize leakage and deformation of sugar content.
• Recombinant microorganisms convert D-glucuronic acid into D-glucarate lactone
• Polypeptide acts as D-glucuronic acid dehydrogenase
• D-glucuronic acid dehydrogenase has SEQ ID NO. 2 and amino acid sequence 80% based on ClustalW method. Using genes with the above similarity

‍

‍

This technology was developed through support from the Korea Institute for Ocean Science and Technology Advancement's research project to produce next-generation BIO-BASED POLYMER through the development of new technology for bioconversion of sugars derived from green algae.'

‍