ELECTROCHEMICAL CONVERSION OF CARBON-DIOXIDE TO METHANOL WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF FORMATE DEHYDROGENASE AND METHANOL DEHYDROGENASE AS BIOCATALYSTS

Electrolysis at potentials between -0.7 and -0.9 V vs SCE of carbon dioxide-saturated phosphate buffer solutions (pH 7) containing formate dehydrogenase (FDH) and either methyl viologen (MV(2+)) or pyrroloquinolinequinone (PQQ) as an electron mediator yielded formate with current efficiencies as high as 90%. The enzyme was durable as long as the electrolysis was carried out in the dark. Electrolysis of phosphate buffer solutions containing sodium formate in the presence of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) and MV(2+) at -0.7 vs SCE yielded formaldehyde if the concentration of the enzyme used was low, whereas both formaldehyde and methanol were produced for relatively high concentrations of the enzyme where the methanol production began to occur when the formaldehyde produced accumulated. The use of PQQ in place of MV(2+) as the electron mediator exclusively produced methanol alone after some induction period in the electrolysis. On the basis of these results, successful attempts have been made to reduce carbon dioxide to methanol with cooperative assistance of FDH and MDH in the presence of PQQ as the electron mediator. The role of enzyme and mediator in these reduction processes is discussed in detail.