Novel method to upgrade biomass by an efficient whole-cell biocatalyst

A Mistra SafeChem report discloses a novel method to upgrade biomass by an efficient whole-cell biocatalyst capable of upgrading C5-sugars into the platform chemical FDCA operating under mild conditions and high substrate loadings in a CO2 sequestration process.

CO2 is the most oxidized form of carbon and is inert towards chemical valorisation. This work shows how an engineered bacteria can assimilate CO2 to yield the important polymer precursor 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The biotransformation operates under mild reaction conditions in water and generates FDCA in high yields, starting from biomass derived building blocks and CO2.

The report Whole-cell Mediated Carboxylation of 2-Furoic Acid Towards the Production of Renewable Platform Chemicals and Biomaterials External link, opens in new window. is published in ChemCatChem. It is written by Mistra SafeChem scientist Per-Olof Syrén and colleagues, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

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