Background
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a major residual component of a lignocellulosic bio-refinery process, can be transformed into fundamental building blocks for green chemistry via oxidation. While chemical methods are well established, interest is also being directed into the enzymatic oxidation of HMF into the bio-plastic precursor 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA).
Results
We demonstrate that three glyoxal oxidases (
Pci
GLOX) isoenzymes from the Basidiomycete fungus
Pycnoporus cinnabarinus
were able to oxidize HMF, with
Pci
GLOX2 and
Pci
GLOX3 being the most efficient. The major reaction product obtained with the three isoenzymes was 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic (HMFCA), a precursor in polyesters and pharmaceuticals production, and very little subsequent conversion of this compound was observed. However, small concentrations of FDCA, a substitute for terephthalic acid in the production of polyesters, were also obtained. The oxidation of HMF was significantly boosted in the presence of catalase for
Pci
GLOX2, leading to 70% HMFCA yield. The highest conversion percentages were observed on 2,5-furandicarboxaldehyde (DFF), a minor product from the reaction of
Pci
GLOX on HMF. To bypass HMFCA accumulation and exploit the efficiency of
Pci
GLOX in oxidizing DFF and 5-formyl-2-furan carboxylic acid (FFCA) towards FDCA production, HMF was oxidized in a cascade reaction with an aryl alcohol oxidase (
Uma
AAO). After 2 h of reaction,
Uma
AAO completely oxidized HMF to DFF and further to FFCA, with FDCA only being detected when
Pci
GLOX3 was added to the reaction. The maximum yield of 16% FDCA was obtained 24 h after the addition of
Pci
GLOX3 in the presence of catalase.
Conclusions
At least two conversion pathways for HMF oxidation can be considered for
Pci
GLOX; however, the highest selectivity was seen towards the production of the valuable polyester precursor HMFCA. The three isoenzymes showed differences in their catalytic efficiencies and substrate specificities when reacted with HMF derivatives.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (10.1186/s40694-019-0067-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.