A method for the continuous flow synthesis of (R)-4-halo-3-hydroxy-butyrate using a micro-reaction system. The micro-reaction system includes a micro-mixer, a certain number of micro-reaction units that are successively connected in series, a pH regulating system and a back pressure valve. The micro-reaction unit is composed of a micro-channel reactor and a pH regulator that are sequentially connected with each other. A substrate solution containing halogenated acetoacetate and a biocatalyst solution are simultaneously pumped into the micro-reaction system to enable continuous flow biocatalytic asymmetric reduction reaction of the halogenated acetoacetate to obtain the target product (R)-4-halo-3-hydroxy-butyrate.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to an oleaginous bacterium. In some embodiments, the oleaginous bacterium includes lipids and at least one exogenous and inducible gene. In some embodiments, the exogenous and inducible gene encodes at least one protein capable of inducing lysis in the oleaginous bacterium to release the lipids. In an addition embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to a method of releasing lipids into an environment. In general, the method includes one or more of the following steps of: (1) introducing at least one oleaginous bacterium of the present disclosure to the environment; and (2) inducing expression of at least one exogenous gene in the oleaginous bacterium to thereby induce the expression of at least one protein. In some embodiments, the protein facilitates the lysis of the oleaginous bacterium and release of the lipids into the environment.

A process for producing hydroxyalkanoate copolymers, which comprises: (i) pre-treating a sucrose-containing feedstock in an acidic solution; (ii) feeding the pre-treated feedstock into a bioreactor containing polyhydroxyalkanoate producing microbial cells; (iii) cultivating the polyhydroxyalkanoate producing microbial cells to form a cell mass containing the hydroxyalkanoate copolymers; (iv) recovering the hydroxyalkanoate copolymers from the cell mass. The pre-treating step has the main function of hydrolyzing sucrose into glucose and fructose, which in turn are converted into 4-ketovaleric acid to give a mixture of mono-saccharides and organic precursors for microbial synthesis of hydroxyalkanoate copolymers, and particularly of PHBVV ter-polymers. Complex and expensive purification processes of the substrates obtained from the pre-treating step are not needed. The solutions can be directly used as the feeding solutions for microbial PHA biosynthesis.

An object of the present invention is to construct a production system that enables efficient production of organic acids using blue-green algae, which are photosynthetic microorganisms, by utilizing carbon dioxide and thereby increasing an amount of organic acids produced. The present invention relates to blue-green algae overexpressing a clock protein gene and a method for producing organic acids by culturing the blue-green algae.

The present invention provides tools and methods for producing organic acids using strains of Monascus which are tolerant to high organic acid concentrations at low pH.

The present invention provides for a system for converting CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 to one or more biologically derived compounds. In some embodiments, the system comprises a host cell comprising one or more nucleic acids encoding genes for a recombinant surface display protein which is capable of tethering an electrocatalyst molecule, such as a cobalt(II) complex supported by tetradentate polypyridyl ligand 2-bis(2-pyridyl)(methoxy)methyl-6-pyridylpyridine (PY4), and enzymes for synthesizing a biologically derived compound, such as an alkane, alcohol, fatty acid, ester, or isoprenoid.

Provided are nucleic acids and vectors that collectively encode various gene products related to converting styrene to polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). In some embodiments, the nucleic acids and vectors collectively encode a styrene monooxygenase polypeptide, a flavin reductase polypeptide, a styrene-oxide isomerase polypeptide, and a phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase polypeptide, an acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase polypeptide, a 3-ketoacyl-ACP reductase polypeptide, a class I poly(R)-hydroxyalkanoic acid synthase polypeptide, and optionally an influx porin polypeptide. Also provided are systems and methods for producing PHB from styrene, methods and systems for remediating polystyrene waste. In some embodiments, the systems are in vivo systems.

The present disclosure describes biocatalytic processes for producing a product, comprising providing an aqueous stream (AS) comprising at least one fermentable substrate and a gaseous stream (GS) comprising at least one of CO.sub.2/H.sub.2, H.sub.2, methane, and/or CO to a fermentation zone, wherein the GS and AS stream are optionally contacted and/or mixed; the fermentation zone comprising at least one organism capable of metabolizing an AS substrate and a GS substrate, wherein the fermentation operates at conditions to mixotrophically metabolize at least one gaseous substrate in the GS and at least one substrate in the AS, producing the product. The present disclosure also describes compositions comprising an AS, a GS, and an organism, wherein the organism or an equivalent or engineered equivalent thereof is a methanotroph or a hydrogen-metabolizing or CO-metabolizing chemolithotrophic organism, and wherein the organism is capable of mixotrophic metabolism of at least one gaseous substrate in the GS and at least one substrate in the AS. The present disclosure also describes a process wherein said fermentation operates at conditions to mixotrophically metabolize at least H.sub.2 in the gaseous stream and glycerol and lactic acid in the aqueous stream. The present disclosure also describes a system for producing a fermentation or bio-derived product.

This document describes biochemical pathways for producing adipyl-[acp] and either hexanoic acid or acetic acid from a long chain acyl-[acp] such as dodecanoyl-[acp] or octanoyl-[acp] using a polypeptide having pimeloyl-[acp] synthase activity and biochemical pathways for converting adipyl-[acp] and/or hexanoic acid to one of more of adipic acid, 6-aminohexanoic acid, 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, hexamethylenediamine, caprolactam, and 1,6-hexanediol.

A process for producing PHA comprises obtaining biomass produced in the course of biologically treating a first wastewater source containing RBCOD. The biomass is to be exploited with a second wastewater source having a different RBCOD content from the first wastewater source in order to accumulate and thereby produce PHA. Before subjecting the biomass to a PHA accumulation process, the biomass PHA accumulation potential is enhanced via an acclimation process with the second wastewater source. During acclimation, the biomass is subjected to repeated feast-famine periods. During each feast period, the biomass is exposed to a fraction of the second wastewater source. The RBCOD uptake and/or biomass respiration rate is directly or indirectly measured during each feast period. The famine period is maintained for a period of time that is at least two times greater than the length of time of the proceeding feast period. After at least two feast-famine acclimation periods or after one or more measured parameters reveal an increased RBCOD relative uptake or respiration rate of the biomass during a subsequent feast period, the biomass is subjected to a PHA accumulation process using the second wastewater source.