ACS Publications. Most Trusted. Most Cited. Most Read
Polystyrene Upcycling into Fungal Natural Products and a Biocontrol Agent

OR SEARCH CITATIONS

My Activity
Publications

Figure 1Loading Img
Download Hi-Res ImageDownload to MS-PowerPointCite This:J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 9, 5222-5230
    Article

    Polystyrene Upcycling into Fungal Natural Products and a Biocontrol Agent
    Click to copy article linkArticle link copied!

    • Chris Rabot
      Chris Rabot
      Department of Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      More by Chris Rabot
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1183-1080
    • Yuhao Chen
      Yuhao Chen
      Department of Chemistry, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Hydrocarbon Institute, University of Southern California, 837 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, 3454 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      More by Yuhao Chen
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3721-5684
    • Shu-Yi Lin
      Shu-Yi Lin
      Department of Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      More by Shu-Yi Lin
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7982-136X
    • Ben Miller
      Ben Miller
      Department of Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      Department of Chemistry, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Hydrocarbon Institute, University of Southern California, 837 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      More by Ben Miller
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9071-7122
    • Yi-Ming Chiang
      Yi-Ming Chiang
      Department of Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      More by Yi-Ming Chiang
    • C. Elizabeth Oakley
      C. Elizabeth Oakley
      Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 United States
      More by C. Elizabeth Oakley
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7170-4775
    • Berl R. Oakley
      Berl R. Oakley
      Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 United States
      More by Berl R. Oakley
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3046-8240
    • Clay C. C. Wang*
      Clay C. C. Wang
      Department of Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      Department of Chemistry, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Hydrocarbon Institute, University of Southern California, 837 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, 3454 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      *Email: [email protected]
      More by Clay C. C. Wang
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2955-7569
    • Travis J. Williams*
      Travis J. Williams
      Department of Chemistry, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Hydrocarbon Institute, University of Southern California, 837 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, 3454 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, California 90089 United States
      *Email: [email protected]
      More by Travis J. Williams
      Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6299-3747
    Other Access OptionsSupporting Information (1)

    Journal of the American Chemical Society

    Cite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 9, 5222–5230
    Click to copy citationCitation copied!
    https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c12285
    Published February 13, 2023
    Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society
    Request reuse permissions

    Abstract

    Click to copy section linkSection link copied!
    Abstract Image

    Polystyrene (PS) is one of the most used yet infrequently recycled plastics. Although manufactured on the scale of 300 million tons per year globally, current approaches toward PS degradation are energy- and carbon-inefficient, slow, and/or limited in the value that they reclaim. We recently reported a scalable process to degrade post-consumer polyethylene-containing waste streams into carboxylic diacids. Engineered fungal strains then upgrade these diacids biosynthetically to synthesize pharmacologically active secondary metabolites. Herein, we apply a similar reaction to rapidly convert PS to benzoic acid in high yield. Engineered strains of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans then biosynthetically upgrade PS-derived crude benzoic acid to the structurally diverse secondary metabolites ergothioneine, pleuromutilin, and mutilin. Further, we expand the catalog of plastic-derived products to include spores of the industrially relevant biocontrol agent Aspergillus flavus Af36 from crude PS-derived benzoic acid.

    Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society

    Subjects

    what are subjects

    Read this article

    To access this article, please review the available access options below.

    Get instant access

    Purchase Access

    Read this article for 48 hours. Check out below using your ACS ID or as a guest.

    Recommended

    Access through Your Institution

    You may have access to this article through your institution.

    Your institution does not have access to this content. Add or change your institution or let them know you’d like them to include access.

    Supporting Information

    Click to copy section linkSection link copied!

    The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.2c12285.

    • Procedures for catalyst screening, condition optimization, digest purification, media and buffer recipes, culture conditions, strain construction, SM extraction and quantification, compound purification & characterization, NMR spectra and chemical shift data, culturing results, and SM standard curves (PDF)

    Terms & Conditions

    Most electronic Supporting Information files are available without a subscription to ACS Web Editions. Such files may be downloaded by article for research use (if there is a public use license linked to the relevant article, that license may permit other uses). Permission may be obtained from ACS for other uses through requests via the RightsLink permission system: http://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html.

    Cited By

    Click to copy section linkSection link copied!
    Citation Statements
    Explore this article's citation statements on scite.ai
    powered by  Scite

    This article is cited by 38 publications.

    1. Doohyun Baek, Abdullah J. Al Abdulghani, Dylan J. Walsh, Dillon T. Hofsommer, James B. Gerken, Changxia Shi, Eugene Y.-X. Chen, Ive Hermans, Shannon S. Stahl. Can the Hock Process Be Used to Produce Phenol from Polystyrene?. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025, 147 (10) , 8687-8694. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c18143
    2. Nikolaos S. Giakoumakis, Carlos Marquez, Rodrigo de Oliveira-Silva, Dimitrios Sakellariou, Dirk E. De Vos. Upcycling of Polystyrene to Aromatic Polyacids by Tandem Friedel–Crafts and Oxidation Reactions. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2024, 146 (50) , 34753-34762. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c13265
    3. Shuaige An Rongkui Chen Hongji Li . Photocatalytic Upcycling of Polystyrene. , 95-109. https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2024-1490.ch004
    4. Clarissa Olivar, Zehan Yu, Ben Miller, Maria Tangalos, Cory B. Jenkinson, Steven R. Nutt, Berl R. Oakley, Clay C. C. Wang, Travis J. Williams. Composite Recycling with Biocatalytic Thermoset Reforming. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2024, 146 (44) , 30004-30008. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c10838
    5. Shalini K. Wijeyatunga, Andrew G. Tennyson, Rhett C. Smith. High-Sulfur-Content Materials Derived from Postconsumer Polystyrene Wastes: Thermomechanical Properties, Environmental Impacts, and Microstructural Insights. ACS Sustainable Resource Management 2024, 1 (10) , 2173-2183. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00085
    6. Jiakai Sun, Jinhu Dong, Lijun Gao, Yu-Quan Zhao, Hyunjin Moon, Susannah L. Scott. Catalytic Upcycling of Polyolefins. Chemical Reviews 2024, 124 (16) , 9457-9579. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00943
    7. Hui Tian, Yifan Wang, Chunji Wu, Baoli Wang. A Compatibilizing Strategy for Upcycling Polyethylene and Polystyrene with Ethylene/(Phenyl Functionalized α-Olefin) Copolymers Containing Continuous Comonomer Segments. Macromolecules 2024, 57 (13) , 6275-6283. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.4c00275
    8. Benjamín O. Armijo-Galdames, Joanna C. Sadler. One-Pot Biosynthesis of Acetone from Waste Poly(hydroxybutyrate). ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2024, 12 (20) , 7748-7756. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c00357
    9. Brandon C. Vance, Sean Najmi, Dionisios G. Vlachos. Polystyrene Hydrogenolysis to High-Quality Lubricants Using Ni/SiO2. ACS Catalysis 2024, 14 (7) , 5389-5402. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.3c05900
    10. Huidong Lv, Fei Huang, Fan Zhang. Upcycling Waste Plastics with a C–C Backbone by Heterogeneous Catalysis. Langmuir 2024, 40 (10) , 5077-5089. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03866
    11. Y. Justin Lim, Brandon Wong, Katie Macfee, Alexa Cueva, E. Aaron Martinez, Cameron Paxton, Robin Barnes, Eric Kleinsasser, Travis J. Williams. A Polymer Degradation and Remanufacturing Experiment in the High School Classroom. Journal of Chemical Education 2024, 101 (1) , 131-135. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00692
    12. Marcos Valenzuela-Ortega, Jack T. Suitor, Mirren F. M. White, Trevor Hinchcliffe, Stephen Wallace. Microbial Upcycling of Waste PET to Adipic Acid. ACS Central Science 2023, 9 (11) , 2057-2063. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.3c00414
    13. Zedong Zhang, Jia Wang, Xiaohu Ge, Shule Wang, Ang Li, Runze Li, Ji Shen, Xiao Liang, Tao Gan, Xiaodong Han, Xusheng Zheng, Xuezhi Duan, Dingsheng Wang, Jianchun Jiang, Yadong Li. Mixed Plastics Wastes Upcycling with High-Stability Single-Atom Ru Catalyst. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145 (41) , 22836-22844. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c09338
    14. Heng Li, Jianmin Jiao, Wang Xie, Yue Zhao, Chen Lin, Juli Jiang, Leyong Wang. The Structure Determination of Organic Molecules by Co-crystallization of Anthracene-Based Crystallization Chaperone. ACS Materials Letters 2023, 5 (10) , 2673-2682. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.3c00740
    15. Sewon Oh, Erin E. Stache. Mechanistic Insights Enable Divergent Product Selectivity in Catalyst-Controlled Photooxidative Degradation of Polystyrene. ACS Catalysis 2023, 13 (16) , 10968-10975. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.3c02516
    16. Runze Li, Zedong Zhang, Xiao Liang, Ji Shen, Jia Wang, Wenming Sun, Dingsheng Wang, Jianchun Jiang, Yadong Li. Polystyrene Waste Thermochemical Hydrogenation to Ethylbenzene by a N-Bridged Co, Ni Dual-Atom Catalyst. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145 (29) , 16218-16227. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c05184
    17. Zheng Ma, Huan Chen, Zhe Zhang, Bo Niu, Donghui Long, Yayun Zhang. Synergistic catalytic upcycling of waste plastics with CO2: Mechanisms, innovations, and future perspectives. Fuel 2025, 397 , 135459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2025.135459
    18. Maria Franca Pitzalis, Joanna C. Sadler. Chemical bio-manufacture from diverse C-rich waste polymeric feedstocks using engineered microorganisms. RSC Sustainability 2025, 3 (4) , 1672-1684. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00013K
    19. Shusheng Jiang., Miao Wang, Yahao Huang, Jinglan Wen, Peng Hu. Selective Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic Waste Using Iron Salt Photocatalysts. ChemSusChem 2025, 18 (7) https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202401920
    20. Seunghui Lee, Jeonghoon Jang, Gyeonghun Kim, Jiwon Bang, Gregory I. Peterson. Tuning mechanoluminescence colors from aromatic imides with dyes. Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society 2025, 46 (3) , 310-316. https://doi.org/10.1002/bkcs.12944
    21. Anne‐Lise De Abreu, Daniel Taton, Dario M. Bassani. Reassessing the Photochemical Upcycling of Polystyrene Using Acridinium Salts. Angewandte Chemie 2025, 137 (6) https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202418680
    22. Anne‐Lise De Abreu, Daniel Taton, Dario M. Bassani. Reassessing the Photochemical Upcycling of Polystyrene Using Acridinium Salts. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64 (6) https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202418680
    23. Qun Li, Li-Gang Wang, Jia-Bin Wu. Recent advances in dual-atom catalysts for energy catalysis. Rare Metals 2025, 44 (2) , 841-867. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-024-02911-6
    24. Arunagiri Ragu Prasath, Chinnappan Sudhakar, Kandasamy Selvam. Microplastics in the environment: Types, sources, and impact on human and aquatic systems. Bioresource Technology Reports 2025, 29 , 102055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2025.102055
    25. Enjie Xu, Tianwei Liu, Fuyu Xie, Jianghua He, Yuetao Zhang. Aerobic oxidation of alkylarenes and polystyrene waste to benzoic acids via a copper-based catalyst. Chemical Science 2025, 16 (4) , 2004-2014. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SC03269A
    26. Yifeng Hu, Yuxin Tian, Chenghao Zou, Tae Seok Moon. The current progress of tandem chemical and biological plastic upcycling. Biotechnology Advances 2024, 77 , 108462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108462
    27. Laura Wimberger, Gervase Ng, Cyrille Boyer. Light-driven polymer recycling to monomers and small molecules. Nature Communications 2024, 15 (1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46656-3
    28. Arianna Schneier, Gavin Melaugh, Joanna C. Sadler. Engineered plastic-associated bacteria for biodegradation and bioremediation. Biotechnology for the Environment 2024, 1 (1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s44314-024-00007-0
    29. Zhen Xu, Tong Gao, Xueqi Liu, Jianjun Xu. Upcycling of waste plastics: strategies, status-quo, and prospects. Chinese Science Bulletin 2024, 59 https://doi.org/10.1360/TB-2024-1012
    30. Ross R. Klauer, D. Alex Hansen, Derek Wu, Lummy Maria Oliveira Monteiro, Kevin V. Solomon, Mark A. Blenner. Biological Upcycling of Plastics Waste. Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 2024, 15 (1) , 315-342. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100522-115850
    31. Sewon Oh, Erin E. Stache. Recent advances in oxidative degradation of plastics. Chemical Society Reviews 2024, 53 (14) , 7309-7327. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CS00407H
    32. Zhen Xu, Dongshi Sun, Jianjun Xu, Rong Yang, Jennifer D. Russell, Guoliang Liu. Progress and Challenges in Polystyrene Recycling and Upcycling. ChemSusChem 2024, 09 https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202400474
    33. Bao-Nguyen T. Nguyen, Jason Y.C. Lim. Emerging green approaches for valorization of plastics with saturated carbon backbones. Trends in Chemistry 2024, 6 (3) , 100-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trechm.2024.01.001
    34. Xinze Du, Yumei Liu, Xiaojun Shen. Protocol for the preparation and application of CeO2-CuO catalysts in the decarboxylative oxidation reaction of benzoic acids to phenols. STAR Protocols 2024, 5 (1) , 102871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2024.102871
    35. Dazhuang Dong, Zhi Guo, Xue Yang, Yaodan Dai. Comprehensive understanding of the aging and biodegradation of polystyrene-based plastics. Environmental Pollution 2024, 342 , 123034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123034
    36. Albert Ong, Zi Cheng Wong, Kang Le Osmund Chin, Wei Wei Loh, Ming Hui Chua, Shi Jun Ang, Jason Y. C. Lim. Enhancing the photocatalytic upcycling of polystyrene to benzoic acid: a combined computational-experimental approach for acridinium catalyst design. Chemical Science 2024, 15 (3) , 1061-1067. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SC06388G
    37. Pedro Lozano, Eduardo García-Verdugo. From green to circular chemistry paved by biocatalysis. Green Chemistry 2023, 25 (18) , 7041-7057. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3GC01878D
    38. Xinze Du, Yumei Liu, Huixiang Li, Shenglin Liu, Xiaojun Shen. Selective synthesis of meta-phenols from bio-benzoic acids via regulating the adsorption state. iScience 2023, 26 (8) , 107460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.107460
    Download PDF
    Go to Journal of the American Chemical Society
    Get e-Alerts
    Get e-Alerts

    Journal of the American Chemical Society

    Cite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 9, 5222–5230
    Click to copy citationCitation copied!
    https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c12285
    Published February 13, 2023
    Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society
    Request reuse permissions

    Article Views

    6988

    Altmetric

    -

    Citations

    38
    Learn about these metrics

    Article Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.

    Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.

    The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated.