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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

Extraction of Lignin with High β-O-4 Content by Mild Ethanol Extraction and Its Effect on the Depolymerization Yield
Published on: January 7, 2019
Chemoenzymatic Cascade Reaction for the Valorization of the Lignin Depolymerization Product G-C2-Dioxolane Phenol
Henrik Terholsen1, Jule R H Meyer1, Zhenlei Zhang2
1Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biotechnology and Enzyme Catalysis, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Straße 4, 17487, Greifswald, Germany.
Abstract:
Combining solid acid catalysts with enzyme reactions in aqueous environments is challenging because either very acidic conditions inactivate the enzymes, or the solid acid catalyst is neutralized. In this study, Amberlyst-15 encapsulated in polydimethylsiloxane (Amb-15@PDMS) is used to deprotect the lignin depolymerization product G-C2 dioxolane phenol in a buffered system at pH 6.0. This reaction is directly coupled with the biocatalytic reduction of the released homovanillin to homovanillyl alcohol by recombinant horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, which is subsequently acylated by the promiscuous acyltransferase/hydrolase PestE_I208A_L209F_N288A in a one-pot system. The deprotection catalyzed with Amb-15@PDMS attains up to 97 % conversion. Overall, this cascade enables conversions of up to 57 %.
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