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AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsFrank J. Feher, Gregory M. Whited, Gopal K. Chotani, Fernando Valle, Carol Fioresi, Karl J. Sanford, Joseph C. McAuliffe, Marguerite Cervin, Aaron S. Puhala, Andrei Miasnikov, Ilana S. Aldor
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It has been found that certain cells in culture can convert more than about 0.002 percent of the carbon available in the cell culture medium into isoprene. These cells have a heterologous nucleic acid that (i) encodes an isoprene synthase polypeptide and (ii) is operably linked to a promoter. In some cases, these cells are cultured in a culture medium that includes a carbon source, such as, but not limited to, a carbohydrate, glycerol, glycerine, dihydroxyacetone, one-carbon source, oil, animal fat, animal oil, fatty acid, lipid, phospholipid, glycerolipid, monoglyceride, diglyceride, triglyceride, renewable carbon source, polypeptide (e.g., a microbial or plant protein or peptide), yeast extract, component from a yeast extract, or any combination of two or more of the foregoing. The isoprene produced in such a cultured medium can then be recovered and polymerized into synthetic rubbers and other useful polymeric materials. It is anticipated that there will be a significant demand for synthetic rubber and other isoprene containing polymers that are synthesized using isoprene of this type which is made from renewable, non-petrochemical based resources. In fact, it is believed that industrial customers and consumers would prefer to purchase isoprene containing polymers that are derived from such environmentally friendly sources to those that are made with isoprene derived from a petrochemical process. It is further believed that customers would be willing to pay premium prices for such environmentally friendly products that are made with renewable resources. However, it is important to be able to verify that such isoprene containing polymers are actually made from non-petrochemical based resources. The synthetic isoprene containing polymers of this invention offer the benefit of being verifiable as to being derived from non-petrochemical based resources. They can also be analytically distinguished from rubbers that come from natural sources. The present invention more specifically discloses a polyisoprene polymer which is comprised of repeat units that are derived from isoprene monomer, wherein the polyisoprene polymer has δ13C value of greater than −22‰. This type of polyisoprene can be a cis-1,4-polyisoprene homopolymer rubber.
A polyisoprene polymer which is comprised of repeat units that are derived from isoprene monomer, wherein the polyisoprene polymer has δ13C value of greater than −22‰ or which is within the range of −30‰ to −28.5‰.
A polyisoprene polymer which is comprised of repeat units that are derived from isoprene monomer, wherein the polyisoprene polymer has δ13C value which is within the range of −34‰ to −24‰, and wherein the polyisoprene (i) is free of protein, or (ii) has a cis-1,4-microstructure content of less than 99.9% and a trans-1,4-microstructure content of less than 99.9%, or (iii) has a 3,4-microstructure content of greater than 2%, or (iv) has a 1,2-microstructure content of greater than 2%, or (v) has weight average molecular weight which is within the range of 5,000 to 100,000.
A polymer which is comprised of repeat units that are derived from isoprene monomer and at least one additional monomer, wherein the polymer includes blocks of repeat units that are derived from isoprene, and wherein the blocks of repeat units that are derived from isoprene have a δ13C value of greater than −22‰ or which is within the range of −34‰ to −24‰.
A polymer which is comprised of repeat units which are derived from isoprene, wherein the isoprene is produced by (a) culturing cells comprising a heterologous nucleic acid encoding an isoprene synthase polypeptide under suitable culture conditions for the production of the isoprene, (b) producing the isoprene, and (c) recovering the isoprene from the culture.
A method for verifying that a polyisoprene homopolymer is from a sustainable renewable non-petroleum derived source which comprises:
A method for verifying that a copolymer having repeat units that are derived from isoprene contains isoprene that is from a sustainable renewable non-petroleum derived source, said method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.