Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU)’s Post

Electrochemical oxidation of concentrated benzyl alcohol to high-purity benzaldehyde via superwetting organic-solid-water interfaces Organic electrosynthesis in aqueous media is presently hampered by the poor solubility of many organic reactants and thus low purity of liquid products in electrolytes. Using the electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA) as a model reaction, we present a “sandwich-type” organic-solid-water (OSW) system, consisting of BA organic phase, KOH aqueous electrolyte, and porous anodes with Janus-like super wettability. The system allows independent diffusion of BA molecules from the organic phase to electrocatalytic active sites, enabling efficient electrooxidation of high-concentration BA to benzaldehyde (97% Faradaic efficiency at ~180 mA cm−2) with substantially reduced ohmic loss compared to conventional solid-liquid systems. The confined organic-water boundary within the electrode channels suppresses the interdiffusion of molecules and ions into the counterphase, thus preventing the hydration and overoxidation of benzaldehyde during long-term electrocatalysis. As a result, the direct production of high-purity benzaldehyde (91.7%) is achieved in a flow cell, showcasing the effectiveness of electrocatalysis over OSW interfaces for the one-step synthesis of high-purity organic compounds. https://lnkd.in/eGivHdDS

Measure it, see it: metabolic activity of yeast cells   Based on a real-time monitoring of fermenting Yarrowia lipolytica yeast, Amphasys has studied the development of viability and cell concentration. In time-intervals over 24 hours, the cell behavior was measured by means of Impedance Flow Cytometry. After the initial exponential growth, the stationary phase is reached at approx. 4 hours. At approx. 7.5 hours a drop down of viability indicates the depletion of the available sugar and the change of metabolism of the yeast cells. This goes in parallel with the observed decreasing value of the medium pH. After having changed their nutrition source, the yeast cells recover their activity. Amphasys’ technology allows to monitor label-free, real-time and without incubation time the behavior of cells in fermentation processes.  It shows the real activity of cells independent from pH and total biomass. If you are interested in the full story and further information, please visit https://lnkd.in/eQJS3iyg or contact us directly for a demo.   #cellanalysis #yeast #bioprocessing #fermentation

Investigation Into Struvite Precipitation: A Commonly Encountered Problem During Fermentations on Chemically Defined Media Chemically defined mineral media are widely used in bioprocesses, as these show less batch to batch variation compared with complex media. Nonetheless, the recommended media formulations often lead to the formation of precipitants at elevated pH values. These precipitates are insoluble and reduce the availability of macronutrients to the cells, which can result in limiting growth rates and lower productivity. They can also damage equipment by clogging pipes, hoses, and spargers in stirred tank fermenters. In this study, the observed precipitate was analyzed via X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and identified as the magnesium ammonium phosphate salt struvite (MgNH4PO4 × 6H2O). https://lnkd.in/gPUhzQaR #aspenalert #biotech #bioprocess

Here is a cool paper on the development and analysis of an engineered S. cerevisiae co-culture for simultaneous glucose and xylose conversion to ethanol. https://lnkd.in/ez6mT4Rw

🔄 Enzyme-Catalyzed Ester/Amide Transformation: Precision Green Chemistry🧪 The third article in our series on enzyme-catalysed chemical transformations provides some insights into selective enzyme-catalysed ester and amide transformations of small molecules. Enzymes such as lipases, amidases, proteases and esterases are well known and widely used in industry due to their exceptional enantioselectivity, regio- and chemoselectivity. They can be used in synthesis, resolution, hydrolysis, alcoholysis and transesterification/amidation modes - all under mild, environmentally friendly conditions. The ability to avoid environmentally harmful coupling reagents makes the biocatalytic approach both sustainable and scalable. A speciality of enzymes is the ability to synthesise esters and amides in water, which provides an additional advantage for sustainable green chemistry processes. At Enzymicals, we have access to hundreds of these enzymes ready for screening to identify the optimal biocatalyst for your target conversion. Once we've identified the right enzyme, we'll move forward with a seamless transition from screening to synthesis. Want to explore the possibilities of selective ester or amide conversion for your project? Contact us today and let's get started! #EnzymeScreening #Biocatalysis #GreenChemistry #Enzymes #SustainableSynthesis #APIs #CRO #ProcessDevelopment

Development of #Carbon-Based Support Using #Biochar from Guava Seeds for #Lipase #Immobilization by Lays C. de Almeida et al. C 2022, 8(4), 64; https://lnkd.in/dBDwEuUB Current number of article views/citations: 1518/1 Abstract Enzymes are promising tools for achieving an environmentally benign process. However, enzymes are required to be immobilized on economically competent supports to be reusable and maintain their activity. In this work, the aim was to evaluate the application of the biochar for immobilization of Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) by physical adsorption (PA) and covalent binding (CB). Additionally, it was observed that regarding the biochemical properties, the optimal pH was 4.0 for the BCL immobilized by PA and pH 7.0 for the BCL free and immobilized by CB. Among the kinetic parameters, the maximal velocity (Vmax) for the free enzyme was 2500 µmol g−1·min−1, and for the PA- and CB-immobilized biocatalyst the values of Vmax were 2000 and 3333 µmol g−1·min−1, respectively. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) value for the free lipase was 665 mM and for the biocatalysts immobilized by PA and CB the Km values were 219 and 369 mM, respectively. Immobilized LBC exhibited superior thermal stability. The reusability tests showed that the LBC immobilized by PA preserved 50% of the initial activity after 16 cycles. Thus, biochar is a by-product of a renewable source; therefore, it is a promising alternative for lipase immobilization demonstrating its potential for use in a wide range of greener industrial processes. Keywords: guava seeds; #biochar; #lipase; #immobilization; #biocatalyst immobilized

Since the groundbreaking report of their use in cyclopropanation reactions, p450s have been engineered for C-H amination through nitrene transfer. And while Ir- and Ru-based organic catalysts have been employed to synthesize γ-lactams, no organic catalysts or biocatalysts have been available for making β- and δ- lactams. Well, not anymore! Using dioxazolone substrates and a myoglobin variant, the authors of this paper were able to efficiently incorporate these functionalities into compounds. I really enjoyed reading this paper. If you are a fan of monooxygenases or biocatalysis, I highly recommend it. Thank you David Vargas for bringing this work to my attention. To read the article: https://lnkd.in/eR4jQTch To read my summary of the key findings: https://lnkd.in/eJ8h3s9U

Improving and treating, not only Florida's water quality, but everywhere is on the horizon. I'm a firm believer that #biochar and wetlands will be of importance to these new laws and regulations, especially with the upcoming water quality enhancement areas (WQEA) in the ☀️sunshine state☀️. The time is now! 💪 🤘😎🤘 #waterquality #restoration #wetland #regenerative #sustainabilty #jmbcompanies #sslt #wetlandmitigation #carboncapture #pyrolysis

The results obtained in this study demonstrated that yerba mate leaves are a potential natural source of bioactive compounds and their large-scale extraction can be efficiently performed using a packed-bed process to obtain bioactive compounds with a reduced amount of solvent. The temperature significantly influenced the process, and the feed flow rate was relevant at low temperatures due to its positive effect on the external mass transfer. The maximum values of bioactive compounds recovered after 60 min were obtained at 70 °C and 10 cm3/min, with concentrations of 8.83 × 10−2, 53.5 × 10−2, 128.5 × 10−2, 156.3 × 10−2, 273.5 × 10−2, and 351.6 × 10−2 mg/gYM of quercetin, theobromine, rutin, caffeic acid, caffeine, and chlorogenic acid, respectively. The kinetics study and the use of mathematical models provided a better understanding of the extraction process. These analyses indicated that the multiscale mathematical model predicted the solid-liquid mass transfer steps very well and showed the potential for scaling up the yerba mate extraction process in packed-bed extraction units for industrial applications. https://lnkd.in/g2KnMCax

Anaerobic fermentation of gelatinized sago starch-derived sugars to acetone-1-butanol-ethanol solvent by Clostridium acetobutylicum https://t.co/LKyWcy3NN6 #EurekaMag