近日，美国落基山国家实验室Gregg T. Beckham团队实现了木质素高产化学生物氧化还原制己二酸。2026年6月10日，《自然》杂志发表了这一成果。

为了推动化学品制造业的脱碳进程，学界需要可行的制造路线，利用可再生原料（如源自植物生物质的木质素）生产生物基化学品。将顽固的木质素聚合物转化为有价值的生物产品，一直是生物精炼领域长期存在的挑战，目前文献报道的木质素单产物最高产率约为 20 wt%。现有的大多数木质素解聚策略以芳基-醚键断裂为目标，但其产生的芳香族单体产率仅约 30 wt%，且产物是与含有 C–C 键的二聚体和低聚物混合的复杂混合物。这些芳香结构单元之间的 C–C 键的顽固性从根本上限制了木质素单产物的产率，因此需要开发高效断裂这些 C–C 键的新策略。

研究组展示了对杨木木质素进行还原处理，得到一种富含烷基芳香族单体和低聚物的烃类混合物，该混合物易于在Co/Mn/Br催化剂作用下通过氧化转化生成芳香族羧酸单体，其中主要是苯甲酸和邻苯二甲酸异构体，单体产率高达73 wt%。研究组通过基因工程改造了土壤细菌恶臭假单胞菌 KT2440，使其能够将该芳香族羧酸混合物转化为粘康酸内酯——生物基尼龙的前体，最终实现高达 26 wt%（每克木质素生成 0.26 克己二酸）的己二酸产率，理论最大产率为 57 wt%。这种将还原步骤与氧化步骤相耦合的木质素加工路线，类似于石油炼化中的工艺，展示了如何将木质素以高产率转化为单一、有价值的生物产品。

附：英文原文

Title: Lignin to adipic acid in a high-yield chemical and biological redox process

Author: Mains, Kathryn M., Palumbo, Chad T., Rigo, Davide, Webber, Matthew S., Rosetto, Gloria, Bao, Si Tong, Carroll, Austin L., Meyer, Nicolette R., Benson, Alexander F., Boyle, Brett A., Haugen, Stefan J., Ingraham, Morgan A., Alexander, William G., Silberman, Miriam, Myers, Logan C., Ramirez, Kelsey J., Sullivan, Kevin P., Guss, Adam M., Salvacha, Davinia, Romn-Leshkov, Yuriy, Stahl, Shannon S., Werner, Allison Z., Beckham, Gregg T.

Issue&Volume: 2026-06-10

Abstract: Viable manufacturing pathways to produce bio-based chemicals from renewable feedstocks, such as lignin derived from plant biomass, are needed to decarbonize the chemicals manufacturing sector. Converting the recalcitrant lignin polymer to valuable bioproducts remains a longstanding challenge in biorefining, with the highest reported single-product yield from lignin currently around 20wt% (refs. 1,2,3,4). Most existing lignin depolymerization strategies target aryl–ether bond cleavage, which can produce aromatic monomers in yields of only about 30wt%, and still as complex mixtures with C–C-linked dimers and oligomers5,6. The recalcitrance of these C–C linkages between aromatic moieties fundamentally limits single-product yields from lignin, prompting the development of strategies to efficiently cleave these C–C bonds3,7,8,9. Here we show how reductive processing of lignin from poplar accesses a hydrocarbon mixture of alkyl-aromatic monomers and oligomers that is privileged for oxidative conversion to monomeric aromatic carboxylic acids, comprising mostly benzoic acid and phthalic acid isomers in up to 73wt% monomer yields, using a Co/Mn/Br catalyst. The soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was engineered to convert this mixture of aromatic carboxylic acids to muconolactone, a precursor to bio-based nylons, enabling final adipic acid yields up to 26wt% (gram adipic acid per gram lignin) with a maximum theoretical yield of 57 wt%. This pairing of reductive and oxidative steps with lignin resembles processes in petrochemical refining and shows how lignin may be converted into a single, valuable bioproduct in high yields.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10580-x

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10580-x