Patent ID: 6576449
Filing Date: 2003-06-10
Classification: C12N,C12P,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for microbial production of an oxygenated derivative of a gaseous methane-monooxygenase substrate comprising:incubating an immobilized reconstituted lyophilized whole cell enzyme preparation of methanotrophic bacteria containing methane monooxygenase and hydrogenase in a bioreactor, said bioreactor comprising a biphasic liquid phase comprising a major amount of a non-polar, non-aqueous solvent and a minor amount of a polar aqueous medium, a non-aqueous solvent circulation circuit for circulating said non-polar non-aqueous solvent through said bioreactor, and an aqueous medium circulation circuit for circulating said polar aqueous medium through said bioreactor in a counter-current manner as compared to said non-polar, non-aqueous solvent; continuously dissolving effective amounts of oxygen gas, hydrogen gas, and the gaseous methane-monooxygenase substrate in said non-polar, non-aqueous solvent, wherein said gaseous methane-monooxygenase substrate is readily soluble in said non-polar, non-aqueous solvent and is susceptible to oxidation by said methane monooxygenase to result in the oxygenated derivative thereof, wherein said oxygenated derivative is a polar liquid; circulating said non-polar, non-aqueous solvent in close proximity to said reconstituted lyophilized whole cell enzyme preparation of methanotrophic bacteria containing methane monooxygenase and hydrogenase such that said methane monooxygenase oxidizes said gaseous methane-monooxygenase substrate into said oxygenated derivative; circulating said polar aqueous medium in a counter-current manner through said circulating non-polar non-aqueous solvent such that said oxygenated derivative is partitioned into said polar aqueous medium; and removing and recovering said oxygenated derivative from said polar aqueous medium and recycling said non-polar non-aqueous solvent and said polar aqueous medium.