Systematic Mining and Evaluation of the Sesquiterpene Skeletons as High Energy Aviation Fuel Molecules

Abstract Sesquiterpenes have been identified as promising ingredients for aviation fuels due to their high energy density and combustion heat properties. Despite the characterization of numerous sesquiterpene structures, studies testing their performance properties and feasibility as fuels are scarce. In this study, 122 sesquiterpenoid skeleton compounds, obtained from existing literature reports, are tested using group contribution and gaussian quantum chemistry methods to assess their potential as high‐energy aviation fuels. Seventeen sesquiterpene compounds exhibit good predictive performance and nine compounds are further selected for overproduction in yeast. Through fed‐batch fermentation, all compounds achieve the highest reported titers to date. Subsequently, three representative products, pentalenene, presilphiperfol‐1‐ene, and α‐farnesene, are selected, produced, purified in large quantities, and tested for use as potential fuels. The performance of pentalenene, presilphiperfol‐1‐ene, and their derivatives reveals favorable prospects as high‐energy aviation fuels.

Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -Barbatene (peak 1, RT: 10.08 min) and thujopsene (peak 3, RT: 10.29 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target products, there were other products could be synthesized, including the products synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 2, peak 4 and peak 5). Figure S3 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic epi-isozizaene (peak 2, RT: 10.41 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1).

Figure S4
Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic Pentalenene (peak 1, RT: 8.96 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control. Figure S5 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic Presilphiperfol-1-ene (peak 1, RT: 8.70 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 2).

Figure S6
Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -copaene (peak 2, RT: 16.68 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other product could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1).

Figure S7
Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -Farnesene (peak 2, RT: 10.88 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other product could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1).

Figure S8
Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -santalene (peak 1, RT: 16.31 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control. Figure S9 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic protoillduene (peak 1, RT: 9.41 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control. Figure S10 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic caryolan-1-ol (peak 3, RT: 18.96 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the products synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1 and peak 2). Figure S11 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic Valerena-4,7(11)-diene (peak 2, RT: 16.78 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1) and the byproduct synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-69 (peak 3). Figure S12 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic Longiborneol (peak 2, RT: 12.43 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other product could be synthesized, including the byproduct synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-49 (peak 1). Figure S13 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -macrocarpene (peak 3, RT: 11.07 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the products synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1, peak 4 and peak 5) and the byproduct synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-53 (peak 2). Figure S14 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic Selina-4 (15),7(11)-diene (peak 4, RT: 11.54 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the products synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 2 and peak 3) and the byproduct synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-65 (peak 1). Figure S15 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -selinene (peak 2, RT: 17.68 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 1) and the byproduct synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-61 (peak 3). Figure S16 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic dauca-4,7-diene (peak 3, RT: 18.55 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the product synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 2) and the byproduct synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-30 (peak 1). Figure S17 Retention time and fragmentation pattern of biosynthetic -isocomene (peak 2, RT: 9.66 min), the fermentation broth from strain JCR27 was used as control, except for the target product, there were other products could be synthesized, including the products synthesized by strain JCR27 (peak 4, peak 5, peak 6, peak 7 and peak 8) and the byproducts synthesized by strain JTPS-C15-47 (peak 1 and peak 3). Figure S18. 1