Tuesday, 1 November 2005 - 9:50 AM
152f

Nanobiocatalyst for the Synthesis of L-Lactic Acid from Carbon Dioxide

Bilal El-Zahab and Ping Wang. Dept. of Chemical Engineering, The University of Akron, 200 E. Buchtel Commons, Akron, OH 44325

The fixation of carbon dioxide is an area that has attracted substantial research efforts. Biocatalysis-based “green” tansformations provide a greatly promising alternative approach to conventional chemical processes. In the presented study, we examine the construction of a nanobiocatalyst for the synthesis of L-lactic acid from carbon dioxide and ethanol. In the suggested reaction route, CO2 is converted via a three-step reaction to lactate. A 56 mol% conversion yield of ethanol to lactate was achieved for a batch reaction using 0.1 mM initial concentration of ethanol. With continuous feed mode, the reaction reached 9 regeneration cycles of cofactor and proceeded at a steady rate for 5 days. For increased stability and reusability, the system was attached on nanoparticles. The active nanoparticle-enzyme system exhibited activities 12-58% of that of the free enzymes for particles in the range of 100-500 nm in diameter. This demonstrated the great potential of biocatalysis for chemical synthesis from the greenhouse gas.

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