Method for producing methacrylic acid and/or ester thereof
To provide a method for directly and efficiently producing methacrylic acid in a single step from renewable raw materials and/or biomass arising from the utilization of the renewable raw materials. Further provided is a method for producing methacrylic acid using microbes having the ability to produce methacrylic acid, from renewable raw materials and/or biomass arising from the utilization of the renewable raw materials, as a carbon source and/or energy source. The method for producing methacrylic acid enables methacrylic acid to be safely and easily produced from biomass, without using petroleum-derived raw materials, by utilizing microbes having the ability to produce methacrylic acid.
1. A method, comprising contacting or culturing one or more microbes or genetically engineered strain thereof having an ability to produce methacrylic acid with a renewable raw material which gives rise to a biomass that acts as a carbon and/or energy source, wherein said methacrylic acid, an ester of methacrylic acid, or a mixture thereof can be produced from a pathway that utilizes isobutyric acid or valine,
wherein the one or more microbes can grow on about 0.1 to 1% of valine as a sole nitrogen and/or carbon source, or about 0.1 to 1% of isobutyric acid as a sole carbon source and
wherein the genetically engineered strain thereof is obtained by deletion or inactivation of one or more endogenous genes selected from the group consisting of enoyl CoA hydratase gene, 3-hydroxyisobutyryl CoA hydrolase gene, and 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid dehydrogenase gene.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the methacrylic acid, the ester of methacrylic acid, or the mixture thereof is accumulated at 0.04 ppm or more.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more microbes are microbes belonging to genus Pseudomonas , genus Bacillus , genus Sphingobacterium , genus Comamonas , genus Brevundimonas , genus Sphingomonas , genus Ochrobactrum , genus Pedobacter , genus Paenibacillus , genus Achromobacter , genus Acinetobacter , genus Shewanella , genus Listonella , genus Agrobacterium , genus Mesorhizobium , genus Rhizobium , genus Paracoccus , genus Xanthobacter , genus Streptomyces , genus Geobacillus , genus Rhodococcus , genus Saccharomyces , genus Candida , or genus Aspergillus.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising producing a methacrylic acid ester by having an alcohol or a phenol to act on methacrylyl-CoA in the presence of an alcohol acyl transferase.
5. The production method according to claim 4 , wherein the alcohol acyl transferase is derived from a plant.