Process intensification for enzymatic decarboxylations: Transitioning from lab to industrial scales

The application of nature’s catalysts, “enzymes,” for the synthesis of chemicals is a crucial emerging field of industrial biotechnology to meet the current and future needs of our society for sustainable manufacturing of chemicals. Nature uses an elegant and efficient synthetic strategy: Coupling enzymes in multi-step pathways without intermediate isolation and purification steps with precise spatial control of catalysis. Inspired by nature, the design of multi-step biotransformations has been attracting significant attention within the biocatalysis community. The talk will introduce enzymatic decarboxylation reactions (in cascading systems), exploring the use of non-conventional media, enzyme immobilization, and different operational modes for enhancing the volumetric productivity of these biocatalytic applications.