Biodegradable nylon precursor produced through artificial photosynthesis

Professor Yutaka Amao's team at the Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis previously reported on a method for producing raw materials for biodegradable plastics from biomass-derived compounds. A polyester-type biodegradable plastic could be formed by using L-lactic acid as the raw material for polylactic acid.

This time, by using L-alanine, an amino acid with a similar structure, the team created raw material for a nylon-type biodegradable plastic. Artificial photosynthesis technology was developed with the addition of the biocatalyst L-alanine dehydrogenase, which combines ammonia with pyruvate to produce L-alanine, to the photoredox system composed of a dye and a catalyst.

"We have also succeeded in synthesizing the precursor of biodegradable nylon poly-L-alanine using solar energy," Professor Amao declared. "In the future, we hope to achieve the synthesis of nylon precursors that have a low impact on the environment, with the aim of producing L-alanine through artificial photosynthesis using ammonia derived from biomass compounds."

The findings were published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels.