A MEMBRANE-BASED PROCESS FOR THE IMPROVED MICROBIAL OXIDATION OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

MICROBIAL OXIDATION OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IS A POWERFUL TECHNIQUE FOR OBTAINING HIGH VALUE INTERMEDIATES USEFUL FOR SYNTHESIS OF PHARMACEUTICALS, PESTICIDES, SPECIALTY POLYMERS, AND OTHER VALUABLE CHEMICALS. INEXPENSIVE FOSSIL-FUEL-DERIVED FEEDSTOCKS SUCH AS BENZENE, TOLUENE, AND NAPHTHALENE CAN BE CONVERTED TO HIGH VALUE SYNTHETIC INTERMEDIATES. THIS PROJECT IS DETERMINING THE FEASIBILITY OF USING CONTINUOUS MEMBRANE-BASED EXTRACTION TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE OVERALL PRODUCTIVITY OF MICROBIAL OXIDATION OF AROMATIC FEEDSTOCKS. THIS APPROACH SHOULD MINIMIZE PRODUCT INHIBITION, LEADING TO HIGHER OVERALL CONVERSION RATES AND LONGER OPERATING CYCLES. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE ECONOMICS OF THIS PROCESS WILL BE MUCH MORE FAVORABLE THAN THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL FED-BATCH PROCESSES. THE PHASE I STUDIES ARE AIMED AT DEVELOPING A CONTINUOUS MEMBRANE-BASED EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR MICROBIAL OXIDATION OF TOLUENE TO TOLUENE-CIS-DIHYDRODIOL. THE REACTION SCHEME AND MEMBRANE PERFORMANCE WILL FIRST BE CHARACTERIZED, AND THEN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEMBRANE PROCESS WILL BE COMPARED WITH THAT OF A CONVENTIONAL FED-BATCH PROCESS TO ESTIMATE RELATIVE ECONOMICS. PHASE II WILL STUDY THE APPLICABILITY OF THIS APPROACH TO OTHER CLASSES OF FOSSIL-FUEL FEEDSTOCKS AND WILL WORK ON PROCESS DEVELOPMENT TO ENABLE A RIGOROUS ECONOMIC COMPARISON.