Multienzymatic cascades for environmentally sustainable processes

The design and implementation of sustainable processes, which are not dependent on fossilfuels, represents a significant challenge in the coming years [1]. However, biocatalytic processesbased on one enzymatic step limit the potential range of molecules that can be produced. Aclear trend is emerging towards the development of new and sophisticated biocatalyticcascades, which will replace single-step enzymatic transformations, allowing a cost-effectiveproduction of complex molecules while expanding the range of compounds that can beenzymatically obtained. However, further progress is required to industrially implement thesesystems such as improvements in process metrics, robustness and flexibility. In addition, areduction in the biocatalysts production costs is also required to enhance the techno-economicfeasibility of the processes. The group of Bioprocess Engineering and Applied Biocatalysis aims to address thesechallenges through the economic and sustainability-oriented design, preparation, andimplementation of biocatalysts. This goal is achieved through the implementation of anintegrated and multidisciplinary approach, involving the production, thepurification/immobilization of enzymes in a single step [2], as well as the design of self-sufficient biocatalysts for their use in enzymatic reactors.