Microbial production of 2-chloro-alpha-methylbenzyl alcohol and its adsorptive recovery

An adsorptive process was combined with yeast-mediated production of chiral 2-chloro-alpha-methylbenzyl alcohol (o-Cl-1-PA) for effective product recovery and reuse of the reaction medium. Low temperature was suitable for long-term reactor operation, and continuous production using a shallow-bed reactor was achieved for at least 22 days while maintaining a high conversion. The appropriate size of the adsorption column for product recovery from the reactor effluent was estimated through measurement of breakthrough curves of o-Cl-1-PA in a packed bed of the resin at various adsorbate concentrations and feed flow rates. Using the adsorption column, 98% of the product and the residual substrate were recovered from the reactor effluent, and the effluent from the adsorption column was successfully reused as the reaction medium after microfiltration to save the medium consumption.