Unassisted solar lignin valorisation using a compartmented photo-electro-biochemical cell

Ko, Myohwa, Pham, Le Thanh Mai, Sa, Young Jin, Woo, Jinwoo, Nguyen, Trang Vu Thien, Kim, Jae Hyung, Oh, Dongrak, Sharma, Pankaj ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2319-260X, Ryu, Jungki, Shin, Tae Joo, Joo, Sang Hoon, Kim, Yong Hwan and Jang, Ji-Wook 2019. Unassisted solar lignin valorisation using a compartmented photo-electro-biochemical cell. Nature Communications 10 (1) , 5123. 10.1038/s41467-019-13022-7

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Lignin is a major component of lignocellulosic biomass. Although it is highly recalcitrant to break down, it is a very abundant natural source of valuable aromatic carbons. Thus, the effective valorisation of lignin is crucial for realising a sustainable biorefinery chain. Here, we report a compartmented photo-electro-biochemical system for unassisted, selective, and stable lignin valorisation, in which a TiO2 photocatalyst, an atomically dispersed Co-based electrocatalyst, and a biocatalyst (lignin peroxidase isozyme H8, horseradish peroxidase) are integrated, such that each system is separated using Nafion and cellulose membranes. This cell design enables lignin valorisation upon irradiation with sunlight without the need for any additional bias or sacrificial agent and allows the protection of the biocatalyst from enzyme-damaging elements, such as reactive radicals, gas bubbles, and light. The photo-electro-biochemical system is able to catalyse lignin depolymerisation with a 98.7% selectivity and polymerisation with a 73.3% yield using coniferyl alcohol, a lignin monomer.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Chemistry Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI)
Publisher:	Nature Research
ISSN:	2041-1723
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 November 2022
Date of Acceptance:	10 October 2019
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 12:29
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/153556

Citation Data

Cited 44 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item