Biocatalysis for biobased chemicals

Abstract

The design and development of greener processes that are safe and friendly is an irreversible trend that is driven by sustainable and economic issues. The use of Biocatalysis as part of a manufacturing process fits well in this trend as enzymes are themselves biodegradable, require mild conditions to work and are highly specific and well suited to carry out complex reactions in a simple way. The growth of computational capabilities in the last decades has allowed Biocatalysis to develop sophisticated tools to understand better enzymatic phenomena and to have the power to control not only process conditions but also the enzyme's own nature. Nowadays, Biocatalysis is behind some important products in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and bulk chemicals industry. In this review we want to present some of the most representative examples of industrial chemicals produced in vitro through enzymatic catalysis.

Figure 1

Enzymatic synthesis of Difructose Anhydride III (DFA III) from Inulin using enzyme inulase II, an inulin fructo-transferase.

Figure 2

Simplified enzymatic reaction to produce Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) from lactose using β-galactosidase. Subscript n may range from 0–6 though most native enzymes produce GOS with n between 1–2.

Figure 3

Simplified enzymatic reactions used commercially to obtain Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS).

Figure 4

The main two approaches to synthesize MLM Structured Lipids enzymatically: (A) Transesterification and (B) Acidolysis. Subproducts like LML Structured lipids may also be obtained, but only the product of interest is shown. L = Long Chain; M = Medium Chain; MCFA = Medium Chain Fatty Acid; MCFAEt = Medium Chain Fatty Acid Ester (see also [48]).

Figure 5

Enzymatic reaction of transesterification of oils with alcohol to produce fatty acid esters (biodiesel).

Figure 6

Mechanism of phenol polymer formation (see also [104]).

Figure 7

Enzymatic conversion of acrylonitrile to acrylamide by means of a nitrile hydratase.

Figure 8

Chemoenzymatic route to obtain nicotinamide developed by Lonza [209,210].

Figure 9

Biocatalytic synthesis of thymidine using a Purine Nucleoside Phosphorilase (PNPase) and the biocatalytical removal of hypoxantine with a Xanthine Oxidase (XAO) to obtain uric acid. Compounds: 1: 2’deoxyinosine; 2: Thymine; 3: Thymidine; 4: Hypoxanthine; 5: Uric acid (see also [233]).