Integrating Biocatalysis with Viscous Deep Eutectic Solvents in Lab-On-A-Chip Microreactors

Area of Science:

• Biocatalysis
• Green Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) offer tunable properties for chemical reactions.
• Enzymatic esterifications are crucial for synthesizing various esters.
• Traditional batch reactors can be inefficient for biocatalytic processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of low-viscosity DES-buffer mixtures in microreactors for enzymatic esterification.
• To compare the efficiency of microreactor systems with traditional batch reactors.
• To explore sustainable and scalable biocatalytic synthesis methods.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of DES-buffer mixtures (ChCl/glycerol 1:2 with buffer up to 15% v/v) with viscosity below 25 mPa·s at 45°C.
• Enzymatic esterification reactions conducted in both microreactor and batch reactor setups.
• Comparison of specific productivities at identical enzyme loadings and 6% conversion.

Main Results:

• DES-buffer mixtures maintained non-aqueous properties while achieving low viscosity.
• Microreactors enabled efficient enzymatic esterifications.
• Microreactor systems achieved significantly higher specific productivities (14 vs. 0.24 mg_product·min^-1·mg_biocat^-1) compared to batch reactors.

Conclusions:

• Low-viscosity DES-buffer media are effective for biocatalysis in microreactors.
• Microreactor technology offers a substantial improvement in productivity for enzymatic esterifications.
• Scale-out strategies using DES-water media in microchannels present a promising avenue for industrial synthesis.