Biobased n‑Butanol Prepared from Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate: Optimization of the Reduction of n‑Butyl Crotonate to n‑Butanol

Using metabolic engineering approaches, the biopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) can be overproduced in organisms such as bacteria and plants. Thermolysis of P3HB, either in isolated form or within biomass, yields crotonic acid, a potential bioderived platform chemical. Reduction of crotonic acid provides n-butanol, which has value as a fuel and as a commodity chemical. Herein, we report optimization work on the hydrogenation of the n-butyl ester of crotonic acid to n-butanol and the potential of this chemistry to be incorporated into the production of bio-n-butanol from P3HB containing biomass.