Patent ID: 8609378

Claim:
A method for producing poly-3-hydroxypropionate by bacterial fermentation, the method comprising a) providing bacteria genetically engineered to express a gene encoding a glycerol dehydrogenase or aldehyde dehydrogenase in an effective amount to produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid when provided with glucose or glycerol, wherein the bacteria can convert the 3-hydroxypropionic acid to 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA, and then polymerize the 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA to poly-3-hydroxypropionate, b) providing a substrate containing glucose or glycerol to the bacteria, and c) culturing the bacteria under conditions wherein 3-hydroxypropionic acid is converted to 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA, which is then polymerized to poly-3-hydroxypropionate.