Biodegradable nylon precursor produced through artificial photosynthesis

Technology uses biomass-derived compounds and ammonia to produce an eco-friendly alternative plastic

Producing precursor for a nylon-type biodegradable plastic: Artificial photosynthesis technology was developed with the addition of the biocatalyst L-alanine dehydrogenase, which combines ammonia with pyruvate to produce L-alanine, to the photoredox system composed of a dye and a catalyst.

Nylon, the durable and elastic material, is like other plastics made from chemicals found in fossil fuels. Biodegradable plastics based on biomass-derived compounds are attracting attention as an alternative to conventional plastics, and Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have now synthesized biodegradable nylon precursors.

Professor Yutaka Amao’s team at the Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis previously reported on a method for producing raw materials for biodegradable plastics from biomass-derived compounds. A polyester-type biodegradable plastic could be formed by using L-lactic acid as the raw material for polylactic acid.

This time, by using L-alanine, an amino acid with a similar structure, the team created raw material for a nylon-type biodegradable plastic. Artificial photosynthesis technology was developed with the addition of the biocatalyst L-alanine dehydrogenase, which combines ammonia with pyruvate to produce L-alanine, to the photoredox system composed of a dye and a catalyst.

“We have also succeeded in synthesizing the precursor of biodegradable nylon poly-L-alanine using solar energy,” Professor Amao declared. “In the future, we hope to achieve the synthesis of nylon precursors that have a low impact on the environment, with the aim of producing L-alanine through artificial photosynthesis using ammonia derived from biomass compounds.”

The findings were published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels.

 

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts to declare.

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Published: 22 Jan 2025

Contact details:

Rina Matsuki

3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku,
Osaka 558-8585 JAPAN

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Reference: 

Journal: Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Title: A photo/biocatalytic system for visible-light driven L-alanine production from ammonia and pyruvate
DOI: 10.1039/D4SE01215A
Author(s): Kyosuke Yamada, Yutaka Amao
Publication date: 12 November 2024
URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SE01215A

Funding information:

This work was partially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research (23H05404), Scientific Research (B) (22H01872), (22H01871), and by Institute for Fermentation, Osaka (IFO) (G-2023-3-050).