Microbial production of 2,3-butanediol for industrial applications

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BD) has great potential for diverse industries, including chemical, cosmetics, agriculture, and pharmaceutical areas. However, its industrial production and usage are limited by the fairly high cost of its petro-based production. Several bio-based 2,3-BD production processes have been developed and their economic advantages over petro-based production process have been reported. In particular, many 2,3-BD-producing microorganisms including bacteria and yeast have been isolated and metabolically engineered for efficient production of 2,3-BD. In addition, several fermentation processes have been tested using feedstocks such as starch, sugar, glycerol, and even lignocellulose as raw materials. Since separation and purification of 2,3-BD from fermentation broth account for the majority of its production cost, cost-effective processes have been simultaneously developed. The construction of a demonstration plant that can annually produce around 300 tons of 2,3-BD is scheduled to be mechanically completed in Korea in 2019. In this paper, core technologies for bio-based 2,3-BD production are reviewed and their potentials for use in the commercial sector are discussed.