ElektroZym

Biotechnology contributes to the development of production processes that conserve resources and are environmentally friendly. They are the method of choice, especially for the production of pharmaceutical building blocks.  However, the production of basic chemicals is less successful because the corresponding enzymes are often not available or do not have the activities necessary for an economical process. In particular, enzymatically catalyzed oxidations have a large application potential, as they can selectively oxidize C-H bonds, for example.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that these processes are also associated with numerous problems and therefore their potential is far from exhausted. This project would contribute to establishing oxidation reactions on an industrial scale.
In this tandem project, complementary expertise from the fields of biocatalysis and enzyme engineering, as well as microsystems technology and electrochemistry will be brought in. The project fits into the current call for tandem projects Biotechnology 2020+. Numerous focal points, which were also discussed in the technical discussion on process energy, are important milestones in this project.
P450 monooxygenases are complex enzyme systems and are only used in a few whole cell processes today. Simpler enzyme-based processes offer the perspective of a higher space-time yield and volume activity and would thus enable the production of large products such as butanol, butanediol from butane or hydroxy fatty acids from fatty acids in high yields.
The aim of this project is the development of a P450 monooxygenase, which is directly and efficiently reduced by an electrode based on carbon nanotubes (CNT). The basis is a novel screening system that allows the optimization of the enzyme-electrode interface by means of enzyme engineering.
If the project objective is achieved, the new process can be used for the enzymatic production of high-quality products such as diols and hydroxy fatty acids by upscaling the enzyme electrode.