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

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 enzymedamaging elements, such as reactive radicals, gas bubbles, and light. The photo-electrobiochemical 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

Fungal enzyme sets for plant polysaccharide degradation

Enzymatic degradation of plant polysaccharides has many industrial applications, such as within the paper, food, and feed industry and for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectins are the main components of plant cell wall polysaccharides. These polysaccharides are often tightly packed, contain many different sugar residues, and are branched with a diversity of structures. To enable efficient degradation of these polysaccharides, fungi produce an extensive set of carbohydrate-active enzymes. The variety of the enzyme set differs between fungi and often corresponds to the requirements of its habitat. Carbohydrate-active enzymes can be organized in different families based on the amino acid sequence of the structurally related catalytic modules. Fungal enzymes involved in plant polysaccharide degradation are assigned to at least 35 glycoside hydrolase families, three carbohydrate esterase families and six polysaccharide lyase families. This mini-review will discuss the enzymes needed for complete degradation of plant polysaccharides and will give an overview of the latest developments concerning fungal carbohydrate-active enzymes and their corresponding families

Quantum mechanical calculations suggest that lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases use a copper-oxyl, oxygen-rebound mechanism.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) exhibit a mononuclear copper-containing active site and use dioxygen and a reducing agent to oxidatively cleave glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides. LPMOs represent a unique paradigm in carbohydrate turnover and exhibit synergy with hydrolytic enzymes in biomass depolymerization. To date, several features of copper binding to LPMOs have been elucidated, but the identity of the reactive oxygen species and the key steps in the oxidative mechanism have not been elucidated. Here, density functional theory calculations are used with an enzyme active site model to identify the reactive oxygen species and compare two hypothesized reaction pathways in LPMOs for hydrogen abstraction and polysaccharide hydroxylation; namely, a mechanism that employs a η(1)-superoxo intermediate, which abstracts a substrate hydrogen and a hydroperoxo species is responsible for substrate hydroxylation, and a mechanism wherein a copper-oxyl radical abstracts a hydrogen and subsequently hydroxylates the substrate via an oxygen-rebound mechanism. The results predict that oxygen binds end-on (η(1)) to copper, and that a copper-oxyl-mediated, oxygen-rebound mechanism is energetically preferred. The N-terminal histidine methylation is also examined, which is thought to modify the structure and reactivity of the enzyme. Density functional theory calculations suggest that this posttranslational modification has only a minor effect on the LPMO active site structure or reactivity for the examined steps. Overall, this study suggests the steps in the LPMO mechanism for oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds

Quantum mechanical calculations suggest that lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases use a copper-oxyl, oxygen-rebound mechanism.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) exhibit a mononuclear copper-containing active site and use dioxygen and a reducing agent to oxidatively cleave glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides. LPMOs represent a unique paradigm in carbohydrate turnover and exhibit synergy with hydrolytic enzymes in biomass depolymerization. To date, several features of copper binding to LPMOs have been elucidated, but the identity of the reactive oxygen species and the key steps in the oxidative mechanism have not been elucidated. Here, density functional theory calculations are used with an enzyme active site model to identify the reactive oxygen species and compare two hypothesized reaction pathways in LPMOs for hydrogen abstraction and polysaccharide hydroxylation; namely, a mechanism that employs a η(1)-superoxo intermediate, which abstracts a substrate hydrogen and a hydroperoxo species is responsible for substrate hydroxylation, and a mechanism wherein a copper-oxyl radical abstracts a hydrogen and subsequently hydroxylates the substrate via an oxygen-rebound mechanism. The results predict that oxygen binds end-on (η(1)) to copper, and that a copper-oxyl-mediated, oxygen-rebound mechanism is energetically preferred. The N-terminal histidine methylation is also examined, which is thought to modify the structure and reactivity of the enzyme. Density functional theory calculations suggest that this posttranslational modification has only a minor effect on the LPMO active site structure or reactivity for the examined steps. Overall, this study suggests the steps in the LPMO mechanism for oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds

Mechanistic Study of a Ru-Xantphos Catalyst for Tandem Alcohol Dehydrogenation and Reductive Aryl-Ether Cleavage

We employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations and kinetics measurements to understand the mechanism of a xantphos-containing molecular ruthenium catalyst acting on an alkyl aryl ether linkage similar to that found in lignin to produce acetophenone and phenol. The most favorable reaction pathway suggested from DFT is compared to kinetics measurements, and good agreement is found between the predicted and the measured activation barriers. The DFT calculations reveal several interesting features, including an unusual 5-membered transition state structure for oxidative insertion in contrast to the typically proposed 3-membered transition state, a preference for an O-bound over a C-bound Ru-enolate, and a significant kinetic preference for the order of product release from the catalyst. The experimental measurements confirm that the reaction proceeds via a free ketone intermediate, but also suggest that the conversion of the intermediate ketone to acetophenone and phenol does not necessarily require ketone dissociation from the catalyst. Overall, this work elucidates the kinetically and thermodynamically preferred reaction pathways for tandem alcohol dehydrogenation and reductive ether bond cleavage by the ruthenium-xantphos catalyst. © 2013 American Chemical Society

Computational Study of Bond Dissociation Enthalpies for a Large Range of Native and Modified Lignins

Lignin is a major component of plant cell walls that is typically underutilized in selective conversion strategies for renewable fuels and chemicals. The mechanisms by which thermal and catalytic treatments deconstruct lignin remain elusive, which is where quantum mechanical calculations can offer fundamental insights. Here, we compute homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) for four prevalent linkages in 69 lignin model compounds, including β-O-4, α-O-4, β-5, and biphenyl bonds, with a large range of natural and oxidized substituents. These calculations include ab initio benchmark values extrapolated to the complete basis set limit and full conformational searches for each compound. The results quantify both the relative BDEs among common lignin bonds and the effect of native and oxidized substituents on the functional groups in lignin. These data yield insights into thermal lignin deconstruction for a large range of prevalent linkages and aid in the identification of targets for catalytic cleavage. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Chemicals from lignin: an interplay of lignocellulose fractionation, depolymerisation, and upgrading

In pursuit of more sustainable and competitive biorefineries, the effective valorisation of lignin is key. An alluring opportunity is the exploitation of lignin as a resource for chemicals. Three technological biorefinery aspects will determine the realisation of a successful lignin-to-chemicals valorisation chain, namely (i) lignocellulose fractionation, (ii) lignin depolymerisation, and (iii) upgrading towards targeted chemicals. This review provides a summary and perspective of the extensive research that has been devoted to each of these three interconnected biorefinery aspects, ranging from industrially well-established techniques to the latest cutting edge innovations. To navigate the reader through the overwhelming collection of literature on each topic, distinct strategies/topics were delineated and summarised in comprehensive overview figures. Upon closer inspection, conceptual principles arise that rationalise the success of certain methodologies, and more importantly, can guide future research to further expand the portfolio of promising technologies. When targeting chemicals, a key objective during the fractionation and depolymerisation stage is to minimise lignin condensation (i.e. formation of resistive carbon-carbon linkages). During fractionation, this can be achieved by either (i) preserving the (native) lignin structure or (ii) by tolerating depolymerisation of the lignin polymer but preventing condensation through chemical quenching or physical removal of reactive intermediates. The latter strategy is also commonly applied in the lignin depolymerisation stage, while an alternative approach is to augment the relative rate of depolymerisation vs. condensation by enhancing the reactivity of the lignin structure towards depolymerisation. Finally, because depolymerised lignins often consist of a complex mixture of various compounds, upgrading of the raw product mixture through convergent transformations embodies a promising approach to decrease the complexity. This particular upgrading approach is termed funneling, and includes both chemocatalytic and biological strategies.status: publishe

A Mechanistic Investigation of Acid-Catalyzed Cleavage of Aryl-Ether Linkages: Implications for Lignin Depolymerization in Acidic Environments

Acid catalysis has long been used to depolymerize plant cell wall polysaccharides, and the mechanisms by which acid affects carbohydrates have been extensively studied. Lignin depolymerization, however, is not as well understood, primarily due to the heterogeneity and reactivity of lignin. We present an experimental and theoretical study of acid-catalyzed cleavage of two non-phenolic and two phenolic dimers that exhibit the β-O-4 ether linkage, the most common intermonomer bond in lignin. This work demonstrates that the rate of acid-catalyzed β-O-4 cleavage in dimers exhibiting a phenolic hydroxyl group is 2 orders of magnitude faster than in non-phenolic dimers. The experiments suggest that the major product distribution is similar for all model compounds, but a stable phenyl-dihydrobenzofuran species is observed in the acidolysis of two of the γ-carbinol containing model compounds. The presence of a methoxy substituent, commonly found in native lignin, prevents the formation of this intermediate. Reaction pathways were examined with quantum mechanical calculations, which aid in explaining the substantial differences in reactivity. Moreover, we use a radical scavenger to show that the commonly proposed homolytic cleavage pathway of phenolic β-O-4 linkages is unlikely in acidolysis conditions. Overall, this study explains the disparity between rates of β-O-4 cleavage seen in model compound experiments and acid pretreatment of biomass, and implies that depolymerization of lignin during acid-catalyzed pretreatment or fractionation will proceed via a heterolytic, unzipping mechanism wherein β-O-4 linkages are cleaved from the phenolic ends of branched, polymer chains inward toward the core of the polymer. © 2013 American Chemical Society