Flow Bioreactors as Complementary Tools for Biocatalytic Process Intensification

Abstract

Biocatalysis has widened its scope and relevance since new molecular tools, including improved expression systems for proteins, protein and metabolic engineering, and rational techniques for immobilization, have become available. However, applications are still sometimes hampered by low productivity and difficulties in scaling up. A practical and reasonable step to improve the performances of biocatalysts (including both enzymes and whole-cell systems) is to use them in flow reactors. This review describes the state of the art on the design and use of biocatalysis in flow reactors. The encouraging successes of this enabling technology are critically discussed, highlighting new opportunities, problems to be solved and technological advances.

Magnetic Microreactors with Immobilized Enzymes—From Assemblage to Contemporary Applications

“…Such sophisticated systems provide biocatalysts with the chance to work in a favorable environment, suffering limited damages. Namely, controlled substrate concentration, continuous product removal, no mechanical stirring, and highly controlled pressure and temperature conditions pave the way for significant increases in turnover number and frequency [1]. A noteworthy leverage that flow processing offers is the possibility to perform in-line work-ups and purification procedures of the enzymatic reactions products, circumventing limitations faced during batch biotransformations.…”

“…On this realm, microscale technology and flow chemistry constitute a promising combination for the development of innovative methods and intensified processes. The global industry relies greatly on bioprocesses and biocatalytic techniques and flow processing has the potential to enrich these fields; by facilitating large-scale production with significantly smaller equipment, a substantial decrease in reaction time and enhancement in space-time yields up to 650-fold in correlation with batch processes [1].…”

The Fourth Wave of Biocatalysis Emerges— The 13 th International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] In ab iotransformation, the biocatalyst transforms a well-defined substrate to the desired product, in contrastt o the fermentation process-known since ancient times-which produces the desired product from ac omplex mixture of nutrients. [4] Biocatalysis has reached an industrially established level throughs everalw aves of technological evolution.…”

“…[3] This wave integrates advanced molecular genetics, metagenomics, and bioinformatics tools to discover novel enzymes or even create novel enzymef unctions that were not present in nature, [3] with developments in multienzyme-catalyzed processes, immobilization engineering, and microreactor technology. [4][5][6] The advanced methods to discover/develop novel enzymes could be applied in vivo as part of novel artificial metabolic routes in whole cells, [3] or in vitro by the aid of compartmentalization and microreactor techniques (including both enzymes and whole-cellb iocatalysts in flow reactors) to create multienzyme-based reactor systems. [4][5][6] The series of BioTrans meetings-started in 1993 in Graz, Austria-evolved to at rue European eventa nd not just followed but also initiated the evolution of these waves of biocatalysis.…”

“…[4][5][6] The advanced methods to discover/develop novel enzymes could be applied in vivo as part of novel artificial metabolic routes in whole cells, [3] or in vitro by the aid of compartmentalization and microreactor techniques (including both enzymes and whole-cellb iocatalysts in flow reactors) to create multienzyme-based reactor systems. [4][5][6] The series of BioTrans meetings-started in 1993 in Graz, Austria-evolved to at rue European eventa nd not just followed but also initiated the evolution of these waves of biocatalysis. The major aim of the BioTrans conferences, organized biennially for biologists and chemists, is to providet op-level information in the field of biocatalysis and biotransformation and to bridge scientists in academia and industry.…”