| abstract |
The invention relates to an enzymatic method for producing 2-methyl-1,2-dihydroxypropane from compounds that comprise a tert-butyl group and which are converted into the target product by means of an enzyme system that has the enzymatic activity of a monooxygenase. The invention preferably relates to a biotechnological process for producing 2-methyl-1,2-dihydroxypropane, wherein microorganisms which have or produce the desired monooxygenase activity are cultivated in an aqueous system and the tert-butyl compounds, such as for example the tert-butyl group in methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl-tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tert-amyl-methyl ether (TAME), tert-butoxy methanol and/or tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), are converted, optionally via intermediate products, into the corresponding target compound. Preferably, tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) is used as a substrate. |