Sustainable enzymatic production of chemicals through novel concept of particle stabilized emulsions

The transition from fossil to a sustainable bio-based economy is arguably the most important challenge we face today, due to the urgent need of slowing down the ongoing climate change and to save our environment. Biotechnology plays an important role when converting renewable feedstock into chemicals and fuels.

However, the implementation of industrial bio-based processes needs to speed up.This project aims at improving the competiveness of enzymatic processes. The novel element is to include a colloid particles stabilized emulsion, i.e. Pickering emulsion to address common problems with low substrate solubility and stability.

To develop the concept, two enzymatic processes are selected that are highly relevant for both industry and the sustainability aspect of the project; synthesis of chiral amines with relevance in pharma and alkyl polyglycosides (APGs), biodegradable surfactants used in the personal care and cosmetics sectors.

Both processes can utilize renewable feedstock; chiral amines from lignin based aromatics and APGs from carbohydrates and vegetable oils. These enzymatic processes improve the product qualities and significantly reduce the environmental impact.

The project is a three-part collaboration between the department of chemistry (enzyme technology), food technology (Pickering emulsion), and Enza Biotech AB (APGs). A PhD student will perform the research, supervised by the complementary expertise found in this entity.