Abstract

The use of enzyme or cell cultures for the synthesis of special chemicals is an interesting field, in particular since they offer unique features for the synthesis of chirale components. To optimize such processes special conditions needs to be ensured and methods for process control should be implemented. Microfluidic systems are challenging tools to set-up and optimize enzyme based processes. Respective microfluidic modules and application data will be presented.

Miniaturization technology offers the unique possibility of combining all optimization and control processes necessary for an economic and selective manufacturing on a flexible integrated/modular microreactor platform. The individual single modules covering different process steps like catalysis, product separation and finally product characterization and can be combined in a LEGO like fashion.

Quite interesting, each module can be specific adapted depending on the type of chosen manufacturing process by a set of functionalization strategies, namely surface modifications as well as integration of sensors, microcarriers and membranes. Besides common up scaling strategy, the modular mircoreactor platform offers a further, so called numbering up strategy for process intensification, by connecting of a certain numbers of identical modules in parallel or in series. 

As an example making use of this “Integrated Microreactor Platform” approach, the strategy and the first single microreactor modules developed for ?-transaminase-based biocatalysis of enantiomerically pure amines and unnatural amino acids, will be presented.