Biocatalytic Process Design and Reaction Engineering

Biocatalytic processes occurring in nature provide a wealth of inspiration for manufacturing processes with high molecular economy. The molecular and engineering aspects of bioprocesses converting available raw materials into valuable products are therefore of much industrial interest. Modular reaction platforms and straightforward working paths, from the fundamental understanding of biocatalytic systems in nature to the design and reaction engineering of novel biocatalytic processes, have been important for shortening development times. Building on broadly applicable reaction platforms and tools for designing biocatalytic processes and their reaction engineering are key success factors. Process integration and intensification aspects are illustrated with biocatalytic processes to numerous small-molecular weight compounds, which have been prepared by novel and highly selective routes, for applications in the life sciences and biomedical sciences.Key words:molecular economy, retrosynthetic analysis, route selection, biocatalytic asymmetric synthesis, biocatalysts, biocatalytic process assembly, biocatalytic process prototyping, reaction engineering, process intensification, product recovery