Immobilised lipase on structured supports containing covalently attached ionic liquids for the continuous synthesis of biodiesel in scCO2

Ionic Liquids in Metal, Photo-, Electro-, and (Bio) Catalysis

Ionic liquids (ILs) have unique physicochemical properties that make them advantageous for catalysis, such as low vapor pressure, non-flammability, high thermal and chemical stabilities, and the ability to enhance the activity and stability of (bio)catalysts. ILs can improve the efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability of bio(transformations) by acting as activators of enzymes, selectively dissolving substrates and products, and reducing toxicity. They can also be recycled and reused multiple times without losing their effectiveness. ILs based on imidazolium cation are preferred for structural organization aspects, with a semiorganized layer surrounding the catalyst. ILs act as a container, providing a confined space that allows modulation of electronic and geometric effects, miscibility of reactants and products, and residence time of species. ILs can stabilize ionic and radical species and control the catalytic activity of dynamic processes. Supported IL phase (SILP) derivatives and polymeric ILs (PILs) are good options for molecular engineering of greener catalytic processes. The major factors governing metal, photo-, electro-, and biocatalysts in ILs are discussed in detail based on the vast literature available over the past two and a half decades. Catalytic reactions, ranging from hydrogenation and cross-coupling to oxidations, promoted by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in both single and multiphase conditions, are extensively reviewed and discussed considering the knowledge accumulated until now.

Direct Biocatalytic Processes for CO2 Capture as a Green Tool to Produce Value-Added Chemicals

Direct biocatalytic processes for CO₂ capture and transformation in value-added chemicals may be considered a useful tool for reducing the concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Among the other enzymes, carbonic anhydrase (CA) and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) are two key biocatalysts suitable for this challenge, facilitating the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in complementary ways. Carbonic anhydrases accelerate CO₂ uptake by promoting its solubility in water in the form of hydrogen carbonate as the first step in converting the gas into a species widely used in carbon capture storage and its utilization processes (CCSU), particularly in carbonation and mineralization methods. On the other hand, formate dehydrogenases represent the biocatalytic machinery evolved by certain organisms to convert CO₂ into enriched, reduced, and easily transportable hydrogen species, such as formic acid, via enzymatic cascade systems that obtain energy from chemical species, electrochemical sources, or light. Formic acid is the basis for fixing C₁-carbon species to other, more reduced molecules. In this review, the state-of-the-art of both methods of CO₂ uptake is assessed, highlighting the biotechnological approaches that have been developed using both enzymes.

Supported Ionic Liquid Phase Catalysts Dedicated for Continuous Flow Synthesis

Heterogeneous catalysis, although known for over a century, is constantly improved and plays a key role in solving the present problems in chemical technology. Thanks to the development of modern materials engineering, solid supports for catalytic phases having a highly developed surface are available. Recently, continuous-flow synthesis started to be a key technology in the synthesis of high added value chemicals. These processes are more efficient, sustainable, safer and cheaper to operate. The most promising is the use of heterogeneous catalyst with column-type fixed-bed reactors. The advantages of the use of heterogeneous catalyst in continuous flow reactors are the physical separation of product and catalyst, as well as the reduction in inactivation and loss of the catalyst. However, the state-of-the-art use of heterogeneous catalysts in flow systems compared to homogenous ones remains still open. The lifetime of heterogeneous catalysts remains a significant hurdle to realise sustainable flow synthesis. The goal of this review article was to present a state of knowledge concerning the application of Supported Ionic Liquid Phase (SILP) catalysts dedicated for continuous flow synthesis.

Advances Achieved by Ionic-Liquid-Based Materials as Alternative Supports and Purification Platforms for Proteins and Enzymes

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been applied in several fields in which enzymes and proteins play a noteworthy role, for instance in biorefinery, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences, among others. Despite their use as solvents and co-solvents, their combination with materials for protein- and enzyme-based applications has raised significant attention in the past few years. Among them, significant advances were brought by supported ionic liquids (SILs), in which ILs are introduced to modify the surface and properties of materials, e.g., as ligands when covalently bond or when physiosorbed. SILs have been mainly investigated as alternative supports for enzymes in biocatalysis and as new supports in preparative liquid chromatography for the purification of high-value proteins and enzymes. In this manuscript, we provide an overview on the most relevant advances by using SILs as supports for enzymes and as purification platforms for a variety of proteins and enzymes. The interaction mechanisms occurring between proteins and SILs/ILs are highlighted, allowing the design of efficient processes involving SILs. The work developed is discussed in light of the respective development phase and innovation level of the applied technologies. Advantages and disadvantages are identified, as well as the missing links to pave their use in relevant applications.

Ionic Liquids for Development of Heterogeneous Catalysts Based on Nanomaterials for Biocatalysis

The development of effective methods of enzyme stabilization is key for the evolution of biocatalytic processes. An interesting approach combines the stabilization process of proteins in ionic liquids and the immobilization of the active phase on the solid support. As a result, stable, active and heterogeneous biocatalysts are obtained. There are several benefits associated with heterogeneous processes, as easy separation of the biocatalyst from the reaction mixture and the possibility of recycling. Accordingly, this work focused on the supported ionic liquid phases as the efficient enzyme stabilization carriers, and their application in both continuous flow and batch biocatalytic processes.

Immobilization on octyl-agarose beads and some catalytic features of commercial preparations of lipase a from Candida antarctica (Novocor ADL): Comparison with immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica

Lipase A from Candida antarctica (CALA, commercialized as Novocor ADL) was immobilized on octyl-agarose, which is a very useful support for lipase immobilization, and coated with polyethylenimine to improve the stability. The performance was compared to that of the form B of the enzyme (CALB) immobilized on the same support, as both enzymes are among the most popular ones used in biocatalysis. CALA immobilization produced a significant increase in enzyme activity vs. p-nitrophenyl butyrate (pNPB) (by a factor of seven), and the coating with PEI did not have a significant effect on enzyme activity. CALB reduced its activity slightly after enzyme immobilization. Octyl-CALA was less stable than octyl-CALB at pH 9 and more stable at pH 5 and, more clearly, at pH 7. PEI coating only increased octyl-CALA stability at pH 9. In organic solvents, CALB had much better stability in methanol and was similarly stable in acetonitrile or dioxane. In these systems, the PEI coating of octyl-CALA permitted some stabilization. While octyl-CALA was more active vs. pNPB, octyl-CALB was much more active vs. mandelic esters or triacetin. Thus, depending on the specific reaction and the conditions, CALA or CALB may offer different advantages and drawbacks. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2735, 2019.

Dimethyl carbonate as a non-innocent benign solvent for the multistep continuous flow synthesis of amino alcohols

An efficient methodology for the production and resolution of amino alcohols with a low environmental impact has been developed.

Immobilization of CALB on activated chitosan: Application to enzymatic synthesis in supercritical and near-critical carbon dioxide

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Lipase B from Candida antarctica immobilized on activated chitosan.

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The loading capacity of the new biocatalyst is around 20 mg/g of support.

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Biocatalyst was higher than that of the CALB-Octyl (by a 53-fold factor).

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Enzymatic esterification reaction in supercritical or near-critical CO2.

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Molecular sieves promoted 16.0% increase in enzymatic esterification reaction.

The objective of this new paper was to evaluate the enzymatic esterification reaction conducted in supercritical or near-critical CO₂, catalyzed by immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB). The biocatalyst was prepared through the immobilization of CALB by covalent attachment using chitosan sequentially activated with Glycidol, ethylenediamine (EDA) and glutaraldehyde as support. In order to determine the best operational conditions of the esterification reaction (1: 1 (alcohol–acid); biocatalyst content, 10% (by substrate mass); 45 °C), an experimental design (2³) was conducted to evaluate the effects of the following parameters: alcohol to oil molar ratios, reaction time and temperature. The maximum loading of chitosan was 20 mg protein/g support, and the thermal and solvent stability of the new biocatalyst was higher than that of the CALB-GX (by a 26-fold factor), CALB-OC (by a 53-fold factor) and Novozym 435 (by a 3-fold factor). The maximum conversion was 46.9% at a temperature of 29.9 °C, ethanol to oleic acid molar ratio equal to 4.50:1, and a reaction time of 6.5 h. Additionally, the removal of water from the medium, by using molecular sieves, promoted a 16.0% increase in the conversion of oleic acid into ethyl esters.

Highly Productive and Enantioselective Enzyme Catalysis under Continuous Supported Liquid-Liquid Conditions Using a Hybrid Monolithic Bioreactor

Enzyme-containing ionic liquids (ILs) were immobilized in cellulose-2.5-acetate microbeads particles embedded in a porous monolithic polyurethane matrix. This bioreactor was used under continuous liquid-liquid conditions by dissolving the substrates in a nonpolar organic phase immiscible with the ILs, thereby creating a biphasic system. Lipases (candida antarctica lipase B, CALB, candida rugosa lipase, CRL) were used to catalyze the enantioselective transesterification of racemic (R,S)-1-phenylethanol with vinyl butyrate and vinyl acetate, the esterification of (+/-)-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol with propionic anhydride and the amidation of (R,S)-1-phenylethylamine with ethyl methoxyacetate. With this unique setup, very high productivities, that is, turnover numbers (TONs) up to 5.1×10⁶ and space-time yields (STYs) up to 28 g product L^-1  h^-1 , exceeding the corresponding values for batch-type reactions by a factor of 3100 and 40, respectively, were achieved while maintaining or even enhancing enantioselectivity compared to batch reactions via kinetic resolution. To our best knowledge, this is the first continuously operated bioreactor using supported liquid-liquid conditions that shows these features in the synthesis of chiral esters and amides.

Active biopolymers in green non-conventional media: a sustainable tool for developing clean chemical processes

By understanding structure–function relationships of active biopolymers (e.g. enzymes and nucleic acids) in green non-conventional media, sustainable chemical processes may be developed.

Development of regioselective deacylation of peracetylated β-d-monosaccharides using lipase from Pseudomonas stutzeri under sustainable conditions

An efficient deacylation of peracetylated pyranosides has been developed in different biosolvents, catalyzed by Pseudomonas stutzeri lipase, which displayed regiospecific activity towards the anomeric position.

Supercritical synthesis of biodiesel

The synthesis of biodiesel fuel from lipids (vegetable oils and animal fats) has gained in importance as a possible source of renewable non-fossil energy in an attempt to reduce our dependence on petroleum-based fuels. The catalytic processes commonly used for the production of biodiesel fuel present a series of limitations and drawbacks, among them the high energy consumption required for complex purification operations and undesirable side reactions. Supercritical fluid (SCF) technologies offer an interesting alternative to conventional processes for preparing biodiesel. This review highlights the advances, advantages, drawbacks and new tendencies involved in the use of supercritical fluids (SCFs) for biodiesel synthesis.