Electrosynthesis of Amino Acids from Biomass-Derivable AcidsUsing Titanium Dioxide as a Catalyst

摘要

Currently,amino acids are mainly produced through the microbial fermentation process fromsugar-based feedstock.However,this process has drawbacks such as high energy consumption formicrobial culturing and complicated processes for product purification.The reductive amination ofbiomass-derivable α-keto acids is a simple and efficient way to produce amino acids,and weenvisage that electrochemically driven reductive amination of α-keto acids would offer a simpleand green method for amino acid synthesis,because the electrochemical process can utilize waterand renewable electricity as hydrogen and energy sources,respectively.Recently,we reported thata Ti mesh covered with TiO2 (TiO2/Ti mesh) catalyzes the electroreduction of α-keto acids to thecorresponding a-hydroxyl acids.1 We,herein,report an efficient electrocatalytic system for thereductive amination of α-keto acids on the TiO2/Ti mesh in the presence of NH3 or NH2OH as theN-source to produce the corresponding amino acids.Moreover,we also present fabrication of aflow-type reactor named"polymer electrolyte amino acid electrosynthesis cell (AAEC)"andcontinuous electrosynthesis of alanine using it.