The technology of production of isoprene from biomass is created in Japan

Japanese companies Yokohama, Zeon and the Japanese research Institute RIKEN completed a joint project aimed at creating a method for producing from biomass isoprene-a material used in the production of synthetic (polyisoprene) rubber, write colesa.ru. The new technology will reduce dependence on oil products and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The project to create a new technology was launched in 2013, and in 2015, a new process of synthesis of isoprene was identified using computer simulation. Further developments have led to the creation of cells with improved ability to synthesize isoprene, including through highly active enzymes. The new technology allows the creation of cells with the ability to synthesize isoprene from biomass (sugar), which serves as a starting material. The resulting isoprene is polymerized to produce polyisoprene rubber.

It is known that isoprene can be obtained from mevalonic acid (an intermediate substance obtained from sugar) as a result of a 5-stage reaction, but the new process takes place only in two stages. In addition, according to the developers, highly active enzymes have a high ability to generate isoprene, which does not have natural enzymes. Yokohama confirmed that the technology can also be used to produce synthetic rubber based on butadiene and other diene rubbers.