Construction of a FLEXIble and adaptable enZYMatic biotechnological platform for sustainablE industrial production of bio-based fatty amines from side stream materials

Fatty amines possess cationic and surface-active properties, finding applications in cosmetics, coatings, detergents, and more with a projected market growth to $5.54 billion by 2027.The traditional ""nitrile route"" for their synthesis is flawed by drawbacks like high energy needs, toxic catalysts, harsh conditions, and low selectivity, resulting in complex amine mixtures.

Biotechnological alternatives, deploying enzymes, offer a sustainable alternative, characterized by mild conditions and high selectivity but their industrial implementation is hampered by cost and complexity challenges.

Currently, there's a lack of a holistic approach that considers upstream, midstream, and downstream factors when designing biotechnological processes.FLEXIZYME aims to pioneer an interdisciplinary, systematic biotechnological platform for fatty amine production from fat and protein-rich residues, encompassing all process stages.

Integrating cutting-edge technologies will address limitations hindering enzyme use in cosmetics, detergents, and agriculture.

Scaling up and validation across these sectors is a pivotal project aspect.Key project elements include a chemo/enzymatic approach, enzyme engineering/improvement, machine learning tools applied to experimental and in silico data, reactor design and monitoring.

These findings will culminate in a biotechnological platform for fatty amine production, encouraging widespread adoption of biotechnological industrial applications.Guided by Techno-Economic Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment, FLEXIZYME ensures productivity, yield, robustness, and flexibility.

A multi-actor approach and interdisciplinary collaboration aligned with industrial needs will streamline the implementation of the biotechnological platform's outputs in industry.This flexible, versatile biotechnological platform marks an innovative departure from existing fatty amine production processes, addressing current limitations enhancing environmental performance.