Transformation of bread waste into 2,5-furandimethanol via an efficient chemoenzymatic approach in a benign reaction system

Via combination catalysis with deep eutectic solvent lactic acid:betaine (chemocatalyst) and HMFOMUT cell (biocatalyst: E. coli HMFOMUT whole-cell), one-pot manufacture of 2,5-furandimethanol from waste bioresource was constructed in a chemoenzymatic approach. With bread waste (50 g/L) as substrate, the 5-hydroxymethyl-furan yield reached 44.2 Cmol% (based on bread waste) by lactic acid:betaine (15 wt%) at 180 degrees C for 15 min. With glucose as co-substrate, HMFOMUT could transform 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (150 mM) to 2,5-furandime-thanol (84.5 % yield) after 1 day at 37 degrees C and pH 7.0. In lactic acid:betaine-H2O, HMFOMUT effectively con-verted bread-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-furandimethanol in a productivity of 700 kg 2,5-furandimethanol per kg 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (230 kg 2,5-furandimethanol per kg bread). In an eco-friendly lactic acid:betaine system, an effective one-pot chemoenzymatic strategy was firstly developed to convert bread waste into 2,5-furandimethanol, which would reduce the operation cost and has potential application value for valorizing waste food bioresource into value-added furan.

Automated summary

Via combination catalysis with deep eutectic solvent lactic acid:betaine and HMFOMUT cell, an eco-friendly one-pot chemoenzymatic strategy was developed to convert bread waste into 2,5-furandimethanol, achieving high yields. This method has great potential to reduce operating costs and valorize waste food bioresource into value-added furan.