Biocatalytic CO2 fixation initiates selective oxidative cracking of 1-naphthol under ambient conditions

Abstract

The use of carbon dioxide as the C1 source for the production of value-added chemicals has attracted great interest in both academia and industry. Here we report the potential application of CO₂ fixation in initiating mild cracking of naphthalene derivatives, the main aromatic compounds in light cycle oil. As a proof-of-concept, 1-naphthol is converted into 2′-carboxybenzyl-pyruvic acid with 100% atom economy and 78.5% overall yield at room temperature in a one-pot enzymatic cascade reaction, which is initiated by carboxylation using atmospheric CO₂ followed by oxidative cleavage in air. Our results suggest that cofactor-free carboxylation coupled with an oxygenation reaction is a promising approach for the economically feasible upgrading of light cycle oil, a low quality feedstock for diesel fuel production, to monoaromatic petrochemicals under ambient conditions.