ALBERTO GARCIA-MARTIN, ALVARO LORENTE-AREVALO, MIGUEL LADERO*, JUAN M. BOLIVAR*
*Corresponding authors
Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Abstract

Enzyme catalysed transformations find a prominent role in the future sustainable chemistry and integrated biorefineries. The development of intensified processes from biomass to platform chemicals is challenged by a complex interplay involving upstream and downstream operations where time is a key variable in all physical and biochemical transformations involved. In this review, we show a roadmap for the study and development of biocatalytic processes taking relevant cases of valorisation of sugars by biooxidation routes. Relevant aspects of raw material pretreatment, catalyst design, reaction engineering and downstream processing are discussed and schematized in a framework for the design and optimization of biotransformations.

BIOCATALYTIC TRANSFORMATIONS AND INTEGRATED BIOREFINERIES
Bioprocessing is experiencing a notable conceptual boom with the advent of ideas such as “circular economy”, “bioeconomy”, “industrial ecology” and “biorefinery”. There is an increasing perception of end-of-cycle where renewable resources are needed in a context of global world economic upsurge (1). In such a situation, biomass emerges as a critical source of raw materials (2). Physical, chemical, and physicochemical pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a key aspect interplayed with the (bio)chemical transformations. All these technical solutions form what is called the biorefinery to obtain not only energy vectors, but also chemicals, materials, food and feed ingredients (3).

Enzyme catalysed transformations are a vital part in this transition to a sustainable chemical technology (4-6) within the context of integrated biorefineries (7-9), given their rich portfolio of reactions (10). Whereas traditional application in the valorisation of biomass has been focused on depolymerisation, synthesis and functionalization reactions are the basis for upgra ...