Recent Advances on Diol Bioproduction

Diols represent a vital class of bulk chemicals widely used in polymer materials, fine chemicals, cosmetics, and biomedical fields. Due to the advantages of renewable feedstock, mild reaction conditions, and stereoselectivity, biomanufacturing for diol production has attracted extensive attention. Although biosynthetic pathways for some diols exist in nature, utilizing native microorganisms for diol production faces challenges such as low product titer, limited product diversity, and poor strain tolerance, which fail to meet industrial requirements. This review summarizes both natural and nonnatural biosynthetic pathways of diols, with a focus on recently developed artificial routes. It further highlights advances made by Chinese researchers in strain development, systems metabolic engineering, and fermentation process optimization. Finally, this review discusses major challenges and future directions for diol biomanufacturing, offering significant insights for green and sustainable industrial-scale production.