Electrocatalytic Conversion of Biologically Produced Muconic Acid to a Bio-Based Polymer Precursor

Muconic acid produced by fermentation was electrocatalytically hydrogenated into 3-hexenedioic acid, a promising polymer precursor. Reactions were performed under ambient conditions using an Earth-abundant catalyst. Our results indicate that this technique could facilitate the integration of biocatalysis and chemical catalysis in the biorefinery by eliminating costly separation and purification steps.