Multienzymatic Platform for Coupling a CCU Strategy to Waste Valorization: CO2 from the Iron and Steel Industry and Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Production

Abstract

Ongoing climate crisis demands the development of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies that emphasize simplicity, eco-sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. Enzymatic CO2 reduction emerges as an alternative to biotransforming this cheap raw material into high-value products under milder conditions. This work proposes a multienzymatic platform to reduce CO2 to formate by formate dehydrogenase (FDH) and oxidize glycerol to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) by glycerol dehydrogenase (GlyDH), allowing for efficient cofactor regeneration. Through studies such as pH operating range, enzyme stability, FDH/GlyDH ratio, and reaction medium engineering to achieve optimal soluble CO2 concentrations, the reaction with a gas mixture of 24% CO2 yielded 5.7 mM formate and 6 mM DHA after 30 h, achieving a 92.3% CO2 conversion. To evaluate the feasibility under industrially relevant conditions, a synthetic gas mixture mimicking the composition of the iron and steel industry off-gases (24.5% CO2) and crude glycerol (64% v/v) from biodiesel production was tested as substrates. The simultaneous production was successful, yielding 3.1 mM formate and 4.4 mM DHA. Formic acid was subsequently purified using liquid-liquid extraction, employing the green solvent 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF). For the first time to our knowledge, a CCU strategy has been successfully coupled with industrial waste valorization, obtaining two high-value molecules by means of a robust, profitable, and easily manageable multienzymatic system.