Advanced process design for large‐scale de‐novo 2‐phenylethanol production via fermentation

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

BACKGROUND 2‐Phenylethanol (2PE) is a valuable aroma component that can be obtained through de‐novo fermentation from glucose. However, its toxicity at very low concentrations (<2.5 g L−1) limits the fermentation titer, rate and yield. To address these limitations, in‐situ product removal has been explored, leading to a recent scale‐up to pilot scale. Nonetheless, an industrial scale has yet to be achieved. RESULTS This original research pioneers conceptual development of two large‐scale (2 ktonne2PE/y) production processes for 2PE via de‐novo fermentation from glucose. Liquid–liquid extraction with oleyl alcohol and adsorption by hydrophobic resins followed by ethanol desorption, were alternatives considered for in‐situ 2PE removal. For either design, solvent recovery and final purification were performed using advanced distillation techniques, including a heat pump‐assisted distillation and a dividing‐wall column. A fermentation titer of approximately 1.5 g2PE/Lbroth minimized production costs by achieving balance between upstream and downstream processing costs. This resulted in a cost‐effective 2PE production for both designs of the recovery process (9.03–9.40 $/kg2PE). Sensitivity analysis revealed that glucose, oleyl alcohol, and ethanol costs strongly impact total production costs. CONCLUSION This novel study provides a comprehensive and scalable process framework for the large‐scale production of 2PE through de‐novo fermentation. Integrating in‐situ product removal and energy‐efficient purification strategies, it marks a significant step forward in industrial biotechnology.