4.8 Article

Autocatalytic effect boosts the production of medium-chain hydrocarbons by fatty acid photodecarboxylase

Journal

SCIENCE ADVANCES
Volume 9, Issue 13, Pages -

Publisher

AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3881

Keywords

-

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Ongoing climate change is driving the search for renewable and carbon-neutral alternatives to fossil fuels. Pho-tocatalytic conversion of fatty acids to hydrocarbons by fatty acid photodecarboxylase (FAP) represents a promising route to green fuels. Chlorella variabilis FAP (CvFAP) has higher catalytic activity on n-octanoic acid, in part, due to an autocatalytic effect of its n-heptane product.
Ongoing climate change is driving the search for renewable and carbon-neutral alternatives to fossil fuels. Pho-tocatalytic conversion of fatty acids to hydrocarbons by fatty acid photodecarboxylase (FAP) represents a prom-ising route to green fuels. However, the alleged low activity of FAP on C2 to C12 fatty acids seemed to preclude the use for synthesis of gasoline-range hydrocarbons. Here, we reveal that Chlorella variabilis FAP (CvFAP) can convert n-octanoic acid in vitro four times faster than n-hexadecanoic acid, its best substrate reported to date. In vivo, this translates into a CvFAP-based production rate over 10-fold higher for n-heptane than for n-pentade-cane. Time-resolved spectroscopy and molecular modeling demonstrate that CvFAP's high catalytic activity on n-octanoic acid is, in part, due to an autocatalytic effect of its n-heptane product, which fills the rest of the binding pocket. These results represent an important step toward a bio-based and light-driven production of gasoline-like hydrocarbons.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.8
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available