GREEN CHEMISTRY and Sustainability

The development of enzymatic and microbial processes for the synthesis of structurally complex small molecules, e.g., chiral compounds, of interest for the pharmaceutical, fine chemicals, agrochemical or food sectors is pursued.

In our labs, novel enzymes are identified by mining (meta)genomes, with a special focus on (thermo)stable biocatalysts (extremozymes) from extreme environments, while improved enzyme variants are designed by protein engineering. Highly selective biotransformation processes are set up by using recombinantly produced enzymes and/or selected microbial strains (bacteria, yeasts, fungi, microalgae). The biocatalysts are used either free or in immobilized form in aqueous systems and also in unconventional media like organic solvents or biphasic systems, to develop industrial processes with low environmental impact.