Principles of Applied Biocatalysis

The use of enzymes represents a key technology for chemical synthesis, combining mild reaction conditions with high selectivities. After the enzyme itself, the reaction control of biocatalytic reactions is an essential part in the preparative synthesis of important products or intermediates. Thus, for the efficient performance of the planned biocatalytic processes, the understanding of the limiting factors and the use of appropriate strategies to overcome these challenges are essential. This chapter focuses primarily on the presentation of suitable concepts for the efficient feeding of reactants and the removal of the desired products from the reaction solution by integrating secondary techniques. This can be done by an integration separation process or the inclusion of secondary (bio)chemical reactions directly into the desired biocatalytic conversion. Advantages and disadvantages, as well as fundamental physicochemical limitations, are discussed and supported with application examples.