Segmented Flow Processes to Overcome Hurdles of Whole‐Cell Biocatalysis in the Presence of Organic Solvents
Niklas Adebar, Alina Nastke, Jana Löwe, Harald Gröger
Abstract
In modern process development, it is imperative to consider biocatalysis, and whole-cell catalysts often represent a favored form of such catalysts. However, the application of whole-cell catalysis in typical organic batch two-phase synthesis often struggles due to mass transfer limitations, emulsion formation, tedious work-up and, thus, low yields. Herein, we demonstrate that utilizing segmented flow tools enables the conduction of whole-cell biocatalysis efficiently in biphasic media. Exemplified for three different biotransformations, the power of such segmented flow processes is shown. For example, a 3-fold increase of conversion from 34 % to >99 % and a dramatic simplified work-up leading to a 1.5-fold higher yield from 44 % to 65 % compared to the analogous batch process was achieved in such a flow process.