Ydrate an Aid to Nutrition in the Future
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CarboYthetic ydrate An Aid to Nutrition in the Future Prepared Under Stanford University Ames Research Center Summer Faculty Program in Engineering Systems Design NASA Ccntract NGR-05020-409 School of Engineering, Stanford University 1972 The Stanford-Ames NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Systems Design Workshop FINAL REPORT SYNTHETIC CARBOHkBRATE AN AID TO NUTRITION IN THE FUTURE January 1973 Gerald A. Berman Kate H. Murashige editors PARTICIPANTS Rodney W. Ballard L. Daniel hletz Assaciate Professor, .4ssistant Professor, Microbiology Department General Engineering California State Lniversity University of Illinois San Jose, California Urbana, Illinois Gerald A. Berman Peter $1. Moretti Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, E lec t rica1 Eng inee ring Mec han ica 1/Aerospace Eng rg . University of Detroit Oklahoma State Lniversity Detroit, Michigan Stillwater, Oklahoma James P. Chandler Kate H. Murashige Assistant Professor, Chairman, Physical Science Div. School of Law College of San Mate0 University of Maryland San Mateo, California Baltimore, Maryland Peter J. Reilly Nicholas Dinos Assistant Professor, Professor, Chemical Engrg . Chemical Engineering Ohio University University of Nebraska Athens, Ohio Lincoln, Nebraska William A. Drewry Errol D. Rodda Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Agricultural Engineering The University of Temessee Un iversity of I11 inois Know i lle, Tennessee Urbana, Illinois William G. Gensler Dewey D.Y. Ryu Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering Chemical Engineering University of Arizona Massachusetts Institute of Tech. Tucson, Arizona Cambridge, Massachusetts Leo J. Hirth Shirley Stoner Associate Professor, Assistant Prof ., Economics Chemic a 1 Engi nee r ing California State university Auburn University San Jose, California Auburn, Alabama Keith R. Wellman Marshall M. Lih Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Chemistry Department Chemical Engineering University of Miami The Catholic Univ. of America Coral Gables, Florida Washington, D. C. George Wilkins Kurt M. Marshek Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering Mechanical Engineering University of Detroit University of Connecticut Detroit, Michigan Storrs, Connecticut i CO-DIRECTORS Wofessor James L. Adam Dr. John Billingham Director, Design Division Chief, Biotechnology Stant ord Universi ty Ames Research Center ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Channing Robertson Jacob Shapira Assistant Professor, Research Scientist Chemical Engineering Ames Research Center Stanford University ii ABSTRACT This report discusses the synthetic production of carbohydrate on a large scale. First of all, the world food situation is studied in some detail. Next, three possible nonagricultural methods of making starch are presented in detail and discussed. The simplest of these, the hydrolysis of cellulose wastes to glucose followed by polymeriza- tion to starch, appears a reasonable and economic supplement to agri- culture at the present time. The conversion of fossil fuels to starch was found to be not com- petitive with agriculture at the present time, but tractable enough to allow a reasonable plant design to be made. This design may serve as a basis for future analysis, should needs, costs, or technology change. It may also serve as a model for the design of similar but more compli- cated multienzyme, large scale processes, such as mock photosynthesis. A reconstruction of the photosynthetic prmess using isolated en- zyme systems proved technically much more diff icblt than either of the other two processes. Particular diff iculties relate to the replacement of expensiv,? energy carrying compounds, separation of similar materials, and processing of large reactant volumes. Problem areas have been pin- pointed, and technological progress necessary to permit such a system to become practical has been described. This process is of special interest because of its potential use to recycle metabolic waste (1202) on prolonged space flights. Next, the possible use of synthetically produced carbohydrate materi- al is discussed in some detail. Finally, an analysis of the implementation of the cellulose process in a representative area and its impact on the social, economic, and political factors of the area is made. iii CONTENTS Chapter .Page 1 . INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY .........., ...... 1 1.1 General ....................... 1 1.2 Cellulose Process .................. 3 1.3 Fossil Fuel Process ................. 7 1.4 CO Fixation Process 10 2 ................ 1.5 Cost Data Comparison ................ 13 2 . THE WORU) FOOD SITUATION ................. 15 2.1 Introduction .................... 15 2.2 World Population Growth Trends : Past. Present. and Future .............. 15 2.3 Present and Projected World Food Needs and Supplies ................. 21 2.4 Nutritional Requirements .............. 32 2.5 Alternative Methods of Meeting Food Needs ...... 46 2.6 Synthetic Foods ................... 51 2.7 Summary ....................... 59 3 ESSENTIAIS OF THE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC CARBOHYDRATES ...................... 63 3.1 Introduction .................... 63 3.2 Cellulose Conversion to Glucose ........... 64 3.3 Fossil Fuel Pathway ................. 65 3.4 Carbon Dioxide Fixation Process ........... 67 3.5 Glucose to Starch .................. 68 4 . CHEMISTRY OF GLUCOSE AND STARCH PRODUCTION ........ 71 4.1 Chemistry of Cellulose Process-Cellulose to Glucose ..................... 71 4.2 Fossil Fuel Process.. Glycidaldehyde to Clucose ....................... 76 4.3 C02 Fixation Process.. C02 to Glucose ........ 84 4.4 Comparison of Three Processes to Glucose ...... 92 4.5 Starch Synthesis from Glucose ............ 94 4.6 Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Regeneration ...... 98 4.7 Rejected Pathways ..................107 V PRECEDING PAGE BLANK NOT FILMED CONTENTS (Cont) Chapter .Page 5 . PROCESS AhL' PIANT DESIGN ................. 119 5.1 Cellulose to Glucose ................ 119 5.2 Fossil Fuel ..................... 136 5.3 Carbon Dioxide Fixation Process ........... 162 5.4 Glucose to Starch .................. 169 6 . FOODTECHNOJAXY ..................... 185 6.1 Introduction .................... 185 6.2 Factory Products: Current and Potential Utilization ................ 185 6.3 Augmentation .................... 187 7 . SPECITIC APPLICATIONS..INDIA. AS AN EXAMPLE ....... 197 7.1 Introduction .................... 197 7.2 Demand for Food ................... 197 7.3 Agricultural Production of Food ........... 198 7.4 Synthetic Carbohydrates ............... 207 Append ices 4.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF ENZYMES: GLYCIDAIDEHYDE + GLUCOSE . 213 4.2 IMPORTANCE OF SEQUENCE IN COUPLED REACTIONS ....... 221 4.3 ENZYME KINETICS FOR THE CARBON DIOXIDE FIXATION PROCESS . 225 4.4 CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF GLUCOSE 4 STARCH PATHWAY .... 239 4.5 CHARACTERISTICS OF ENZYMES.. GLUCOSE +STARCH ....... 243 4.6 GENERAL METHODS OF ENZYME PREPARATION AND IMMOBILIZATION AND SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION ... 249 5.1 REACTOR DESIGN ...................... 255 5.2 SETTLERDESIGN .. * . 0 . 0 . 295 VI I UUSTRATIONS Figure Prsge 1.1 Simplified flow diagram.. cellulose to starch ....... 4 1.2 Chemical pathway.-c ellulose to starch ........... 5 1.3 SiL-plified flow diagram.. glycidaldehyde to starch ..... 8 1.4 Chemical pathway ..................... 9 1.5 Chemical reactions.< O2 to starch ............. 11 1.6 Simplified flow diagram.-C O2 to starch .......... 12 2.1 Long-range trend of world population growth ........ 15 2.2 Six estimates of world population. 1965-2000 ....... 16 2.3 The "Modified Irish Curvet1 ................ 18 2.4 The "Population Crash Curve" ............... 19 2.5 Possibility No . 3: "Gradual Approach to Zero Population Growth" .................... 20 2.6 Estimated values of food supplies per capita by world regions. prewar to 1958-60 ............ 22 2.7 Dramatic changes in yields per acre made possible by the new seeds ................. 23 2.8 Average dietary needs ................... 39 2.9 History of wheat and potato ................ 47 2.10 History of corn and sorghum yield in the United States ....................... 48 2.11 Labor content: man hours per 100 bushels in U.S. corn and wheat production ................. 49 2.12 World fertilizer consumption ............... 50 4.1 Reactions of the "cellulase cmplex'' ........... 72 4.2 Cellulose degradation process ............... 73 4.3 Effect of NaOH pretreatment 01) the percentage of dry matter digestion in vitro with rumen microorganisms . 74 vi1 ILLUSTRATIONS (Cont ) Figure Page 4.4 Flow diagram.. glycidaldehyde + glucose .......... 77 4.5 Chemical reactions.. glycidaldehyde +glucose ....... 78 4.6 Reductive pentose phosphate cycle and associated reactions ......................... 85 4.7 Possible routes.. glucose + starch ............. 95 4.8 Configuration for glucose --$ starch ............ 95 4.9 Alternative to the selected route to starch ........ 98 4.10 ATP regeneration.* yanate process ............. 99 4.11 Mass balance for ATP regeneration ............. 100 4.12 Once-through urea process ................. 103 4.13 Total recycle urea process ................ 105 4.14 ATP regeneration.. laboratory scheme ............ 104 4.15 Cyanate process.. schematic flwsheat ........... 105 4.16 Heat inactivation of carbamyl phosphokinase from S . faecalis at 5OoC ................. 107 4.17 The f omaldehyde-transketolase process for glucose synthesis ..................... 109 4.18 Glycerol kinase pathway .................. 111 4.19 Mannitol pathway ..................... 111