Fumarate production from pyruvate and low concentrations of CO2 with a multi-enzymatic system in the presence of NADH and ATP

Abstract

Fumarate is an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid useful as a raw material for unsaturated polyester resins, polybutylene succinate (PBS), poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF), plasticisers, and other products. Biodegradable plastics derived from fumarate are an attractive solution to the serious environmental pollution caused by plastic disposal. A new fumarate production from CO₂ and biobased pyruvate using enzymes in aqueous media under ambient temperature and pressure is an environmental approach to overcome plastic pollution and achieve CO₂ capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). In this work, fumarate production from pyruvate and low-concentration CO₂ below 15% captured from the gas phase using 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-NaOH buffer solution with a multi-enzyme system consisting of pyruvate carboxylase from a bovine liver (PC; EC 6.4.1.1), recombinant malate dehydrogenase from bacteria (MDH; EC 1.1.1.37) and fumarase from a porcine heart (FUM; EC 1.1.1.37) in the presence of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) and NADH was investigated. It was found that pyruvate can be converted into L-malate in high yields (more than 80%) directly using 15% CO₂ equivalent to exhaust gas as a carboxylating agent using a dual-enzyme system consisting of PC and MDH in the presence of ATP and NADH after 5 h incubation. Moreover, fumarate production from 15% CO₂ and pyruvate as raw materials was accomplished using a dual-enzyme system consisting of PC and MDH.