Opportunities and challenges in synthetic biology for manufacture of bulk chemicals

Traditional chemical manufacturing, reliant on fossil resources, meets material demands but faces challenges such as resource depletion, environmental pollution, and carbon emissions. This underscores the urgent need for a shift towards green and sustainable production methods. Biomanufacturing, which uses renewable resources to produce chemicals, offers a promising pathway for the chemical industry’s green transition. In recent years, biomanufacturing has emerged as a key area of global attention. Through synthetic biology, bulk chemicals like 1,3-propanediol have been successfully produced. Nevertheless, biomanufacturing of bulk chemicals still faces significant challenges, including high costs, low efficiency, and limited scalability. This is particularly true for long pathway biosynthetic products, where metabolic network efficiency constrains yields and requires further optimization. This study reviews the current status and research advancements in the biomanufacturing of bulk chemicals, analyzes its characteristics and challenges, and discusses the role of synthetic biology in optimizing metabolic pathways, designating to enhance enzyme activity and improve chassis cell performance. Despite breakthroughs in some areas, the cost of biomanufactured bulk chemicals remains disadvantages compared to traditional methods. In the future, further improvements in microbial cell factory efficiency and raw material cost reduction are necessary to drive the widespread application and industrialization of biomanufacturing in bulk chemicals.