Microbial 1,3-Propanediol Production: A State-of-the-Art Review

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) is a notable industrial compound used in applications in materials, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and the light industry. Because it is environmentally friendly and sustainable, the 1,3-PD biogenic synthesis has drawn a lot of attention recently. More economically viable microbial cell factories, engineering operations, and downstream processing technologies will be required to lower the 1,3-PD biological process expenses. First, the selection of suitable strains for constructing microbial cell factories for 1,3-PD is crucial for its efficient biogenic synthesis. The predominant 1,3-PD producing strains primarily include wild-type and heterologous producers. To boost the performance of production strains, a number of advanced genetic engineering methods have already been used, involving optimizing metabolic pathways, improving cofactor availability, enhancing transport systems, and developing new pathways. However, achieving large-scale industrial production solely through improving the performance of the production strains is challenging. To scale up production from the laboratory scale, various operational strategies have been developed, including cosubstrate cultivation, two-stage fermentation strategies, microbial cocultivation systems, Artificial Intelligence-assisted fed-batch fermentation technologies, and scale-up technologies. Furthermore, developing an economically efficient downstream technique is critical for the commercial manufacturing of 1,3-PD. The purpose of this review is to offer an in-depth comprehension of 1,3-PD, offering valuable reference information for researchers.