Biofunneling hydrogenated phenols into adipic acid using recombinant Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120

Adipic acid (AA), inter alia , a building block for nylon-6,6, is produced from fossil resources. Its synthesis from depolymerized lignin is promising but hindered by the inherent heterogeneity of this renewable feedstock. To capitalize on lignin, valorizing hydrogenated counterparts of the various aromatic monomers gained by depolymerization to a single product is crucial. Here, we demonstrate that in addition to cyclohexanol, the model compounds cis - and trans -1,2-cyclohexanediol and 2-methoxycyclohexanol can be funneled to AA using recombinant Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120. The biotransformation of substituted cycloalkanes exhibits a specific activity of up to 117 U g CDW - 1 , exceeding twice that for cyclohexanol. The composition and concentration of substrate mixtures influence biofunneling efficiency. An electrochemically hydrogenated phenolic mixture yields 99% AA, achieving a final concentration of 0.83 g L −1 . Biofunneling efficiently expands available feedstocks while reducing the need for extensive purification, positioning it as a promising methodology for industrial lignin valorization.