Chemo-enzymatic one-pot depolymerization of β-chitin

Brehm, Joseph, Lewis, Richard J., Scott, Alan F., Morgan, David J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6571-5731, Davies, Thomas E., Richards, Nigel G. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0375-0881 and Hutchings, Graham J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-1560 2026. Chemo-enzymatic one-pot depolymerization of β-chitin. Chemical Science 10.1039/d5sc07429k

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Abstract

Decreasing our reliance on fossil carbon requires economically viable and scalable pathways to utilize sustainable sources, such as chitin. Current methods for converting chitin to high-value chemicals require treatment with strong acids and/or bases at high temperature, thereby giving complicated product mixtures with substantial, negative environmental impact. Here we present a chemo-enzymatic cascade in which H2O2, generated in situ over Pd-based nanoalloys, is used by a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) to convert chitin into soluble oligosaccharide fragments. Our approach, which minimizes oxidative damage to the enzyme, eliminates the need for atom-inefficient and energy intensive approaches to chitin depolymerization, potentially achieving substantial environmental and economic savings. The simplicity of this chemo-catalyst/enzyme cascade has significant advantages for accessing chitin as a bio-carbon resource.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, Start Date: 2026-01-12
Publisher:	Royal Society of Chemistry
ISSN:	2041-6520
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	28 January 2026
Date of Acceptance:	4 January 2026
Last Modified:	29 Jan 2026 02:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/184255

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