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DOE OSTI · 2519035

Microbial Pathways for Cost-Effective Low-Carbon Renewable Indigoidine

Baral, Nawa Raj [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000209429183)·Banerjee, Deepanwita [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)]·Eng, Thomas [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)]·Simmons, Blake A. [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000213321810)·Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000265137425)·Scown, Corinne D. [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000320781126)
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Abstract

Indigoidine is a bioadvantaged platform molecule with diverse applications, including use as a textile dye, biotransistor, biosolar cell, biosensor, and food coloring. There are multiple microbial hosts and carbon sources that can be used and optimized for its production, yet there is limited guidance for which options have the greatest commercial potential. Here, we consider five different host microbes and combine genome-scale metabolic models with techno-economic and lifecycle assessment models. Pseudomonas putida currently outperforms synthetic indigo production and other indigoidine-producing hosts, using glucose, xylose, and lignin-derived aromatics to produce indigoidine at a minimum selling price of $2.9/kg and a greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of 3.5 kgCO 2e /kg. Optimizing pathways-achieving 90% of the theoretical indigoidine yield from sugars and aromatics-can reduce costs 6-7-fold and GHG emissions 3-10-fold. From a cost perspective, microbes that co-utilize aromatics are advantageous, while selecting hosts that coproduce other value-added molecules can reduce GHG emissions. System-wide improvements and the use of a low-cost, low-carbon nitrogen source are crucial for commercial viability in all cases.

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRYaromatics utilizationbiomass sorghumindigoidinemicrobial pathway optimizationsugar utilizationtiter and yield

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Baral, Nawa Raj [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000209429183), Banerjee, Deepanwita [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)], Eng, Thomas [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)], Simmons, Blake A. [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000213321810), Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000265137425), Scown, Corinne D. [Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000320781126). 2025-02-14. Microbial Pathways for Cost-Effective Low-Carbon Renewable Indigoidine. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c09962

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