Integrating Enzymatic and Chemocatalytic Transformations through Shared Reaction Environments

Abstract The integration of enzymatic and chemocatalytic transformations is emerging as a powerful strategy for converting renewable carbon to fuels and chemicals. By combining biocatalytic selectivity with chemocatalytic reactivity in shared reaction environments, integrated chemoenzymatic systems enable a holistic approach to biomass conversion that considers the catalyst compatibility, solvent effects, mass transport, and separation simultaneously. Ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents exemplify tunable media that function not only as solvents but also as active reaction environments by modulating the chemical potentials, water content, and catalytic coexistence. However, catalyst compatibility, mismatched operating windows, feedstock variability, product recovery, solvent recycling, and predictive design remain as major barriers to practical implementation. This Perspective highlights environment-centered design, in which catalysts, media, intermediates, and reactor operation are developed as an integrated system as a promising framework for more selective, carbon-efficient, and scalable renewable chemical manufacturing.