Large-scale industrial production of chemicals often takes place with reduced efficiency and produces large quantities of toxic waste. Improved biocatalysts for carbon-carbon bond formation such as those developed within the CarbaZymes project can lead to novel, safer and more efficient industrial processes, which will benefit industry, consumers and the environment.
Products of industrial organic synthesis such as pharmaceuticals and bulk chemicals contribute significantly to the quality of life and the economic development of modern societies. However, industrial chemical processes carried out through “classic” chemistry and catalysis often involve the use of hazardous substances and considerable amounts of energy. By contrast, enzymes are natural catalysts that speed up the manufacture and modification of molecules under mild reaction conditions and with exquisite selectivity, leading to increased product yields. Thus, the application of enzymes (“biocatalysis”) to catalyze industrial reactions offers great potential to improve manufacturing processes by reducing the use of corrosive chemicals, organic solvents, toxic metals and energy, in compliance with the concept and principles of Green Chemistry.
Carbon-carbon bond forming reactions (carboligation) are key processes in industrial organic synthesis, to create innovative molecules of high value, but remain insufficiently explored also due to the lack of robust enzymes that cover a suitably wide range of reactions. To bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial large-scale production, the scientists behind CarbaZymes addressed these challenges by developing a broad toolbox of carbon-carbon bond forming enzymes tailored to industrial needs: the consortium applied cutting-edge molecular biology methods in combination with specifically developed software (exclusivity of one of the consortium´s industrial partners) to selectively improve their properties so that these enzymes can be efficiently applied in novel, sustainable industrial processes with reduced environmental footprints. The CarbaZymes project pursued the biocatalytic synthesis of several valuable compounds, spanning a range of four chiral fine chemicals and three bulk chemicals, corresponding to significant market needs in the chemical, biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries.
