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Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Light-driven Enzymatic Decarboxylation
Published on: May 22, 2016
Multicatalytic, Light-Driven Upgrading of Butanol to 2-Ethylhexenal and Hydrogen under Mild Aqueous Conditions
Glenn R Hafenstine1, Ke Ma1, Alexander W Harris1
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3145 Colorado Ave., 596 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States.
Abstract:
Microbes produce low-molecular-weight alcohols from sugar, but these metabolites are difficult to separate from water and possess relatively low heating values. A combination of photo-, organo-, and enzyme catalysis is shown here to convert C4 butanol (BuOH) to C8 2-ethylhexenal (2-EH) using only solar energy to drive the process. First, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzed the oxidation of BuOH to butyraldehyde (BA), using NAD+ as a cofactor. To prevent back reaction, NAD+ was regenerated using a platinum-seeded cadmium sulfide (Pt@CdS) photocatalyst. An amine-based organocatalyst then upgraded BA to 2-EH under mild aqueous conditions rather than harsh basic conditions in order to preserve enzyme and photocatalyst stability. The process also simultaneously increased total BuOH conversion. Thus, three disparate types of catalysts synergistically generated C8 products from C4 alcohols under green chemistry conditions of neutral pH, low temperature, and pressure.
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