Efficient whole-cell biotransformation of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural into FDCA, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a promising bio-based platform chemical that may serve as a ‘green’ substitute for terephthalate in polyesters. Recently, a novel HMF/furfural oxidoreductase from Cupriavidus basilensis HMF14 was identified that converts 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) into FDCA. The hmfH gene encoding this oxidoreductase was introduced into Pseudomonas putida S12 and the resulting whole-cell biocatalyst was employed to produce FDCA from HMF. In fed-batch experiments using glycerol as the carbon source, 30.1 g l−1 of FDCA was produced from HMF at a yield of 97%. FDCA was recovered from the culture broth as a 99.4% pure dry powder, at 76% recovery using acid precipitation and subsequent tetrahydrofuran extraction.