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Bacterial dye-decolorizing peroxidases: biochemical properties and biotechnological opportunities
Citation:
Chen, C. AND T. Li. Bacterial dye-decolorizing peroxidases: biochemical properties and biotechnological opportunities. Biomaterials- Biological Production of Fuels and Chemicals. Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin, Germany, 1(9):00, (2016).
Impact/Purpose:
This is a survey of an emerging group of enzymes that may have applications in lignin valorization.
Description:
In biorefineries, processing biomass begins with separating lignin from cellulose and hemicellulose. The latter two are depolymerized to give monosaccharides (e.g. glucose and xylose), which can be converted to fuels or chemicals. In contrast, lignin presents a challenging target for further processing due to its inherent heterogeneity and recalcitrance. Therefore, it has only been used in low-value applications. For example, lignin is burnt to recover energy in cellulosic ethanol production. Valorization of lignin is critical for biorefineries as it may generate high revenue. Lignin is the obvious candidate to provide renewable aromatic chemicals. As long as it can be depolymerized, the phenylpropane units can be converted into useful phenolic chemicals, which are currently derived from fossil fuels.
