Unbiased Photoelectrode Interfaces for Solar Coupling of Lignin Oxidation with Biocatalytic C=C Bond Hydrogenation

The pulp and paper manufacturers generate approximately 50 million metric tons of lignin per annum, most of which has been abandoned or incinerated because of lignin's recalcitrant nature. Here, we report bias-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) oxidation of lignin coupled with asymmetric hydrogenation of C=C bonds. The PEC platform consists of a...

Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles as Nano-Scale Bioreactors: A Fatty Acid Conversion Case Study

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are small unilamellar proteoliposomes, involved in various functions including cell-to-cell signalling and protein excretion. We have engineered the OMVs of Escherichia coli to nano-scaled bioreactors for the biotransformation of fatty acids by targeting a fatty acid double bond hydratase of...

Expanding the Spectrum of Light-Driven Peroxygenase Reactions

Peroxygenases require a controlled supply of H₂O₂ to operate efficiently. Here, we propose a photocatalytic system for the reductive activation of ambient O₂ to produce H₂O₂ which uses the energy provided by visible light more efficiently based on the combination of wavelength...

Bias-Free in Situ H₂O₂ Generation in a Photovoltaic-Photoelectrochemical Tandem Cell for Biocatalytic Oxyfunctionalization

Peroxygenases catalyze selective oxyfunctionalization of hydrocarbons with high conversion efficiencies using H₂O₂ as a key cosubstrate. Here, we report an unbiased photoelectrochemical (PEC) tandem structure consisting of a FeOOH/BiVO₄ photoanode, a Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar absorber, and a graphitic...