Bioprocess Intensification Using Flow Reactors: Stereoselective Oxidation of Achiral 1,3-diols with Immobilized Acetobacter Aceti

• Valerio De Vitis ¹
• Federica Dall’Oglio ²
• Francesca Tentori ³
• Martina Letizia Contente ⁴
• Elisabetta Brenna ³
• Lucia Tamborini ²
• Francesco Molinari ¹

• ¹ Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
• ² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
• ³ Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali ed Ingegneria Chimica “Giulio Natta” Politecnico di Milano, Via Mancinelli 7, I-20131 Milan, Italy
• ⁴ School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

Enantiomerically enriched 2-hydroxymethylalkanoic acids were prepared by oxidative desymmetrisation of achiral 1,3-diols using immobilized cells of Acetobacter aceti in water at 28 °C. The biotransformations were first performed in batch mode with cells immobilized in dry alginate, furnishing the desired products with high molar conversion and reaction times ranging from 2 to 6 h. The biocatalytic process was intensified using a multiphasic flow reactor, where a segmented gas–liquid flow regime was applied for achieving an efficient O2-liquid transfer; the continuous flow systems allowed for high yields and high biocatalyst productivity.

Read the publication that featured this abstract