A multi-biocatalytic system for effective fumarate synthesis from pyruvate and gaseous CO2†

Fumarate, an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid, is an important material for producing unsaturated polyester resins and biodegradable plastics. Fumarate synthesis from petroleum-derived benzene and butane as starting materials is expected to be replaced by synthesis methods from renewable raw materials. In this work, fumarate synthesis from gaseous CO₂ and pyruvate in an aqueous medium using a multi-biocatalytic system consisting of pyruvate carboxylase (PC), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and fumarase (FUM) in the presence of ATP and NADH is accomplished. The conversion yield of fumarate from pyruvate using this system was estimated to be approximately 16% after 5 h of incubation.