Innovative chemoenzymatic integrated processes
The INCITE project aims to demonstrate novel integrated upstream and downstream processing paths involving flow chemistry and membrane technology in chemo-enzymatic processes. The modularity and flexibility of the developed processes will be showcased through two demonstration cases in real industrial settings and will be using hydrolases for the sustainable, safe and energy-efficient production of commodity and fine chiral chemicals. The first demonstration case involves esterase-catalyzed production of a chiral molecule used as starting material for the production of  insecticides in the field of crop protection and public health, whereas the second demonstration case relates to solvent-free synthesis of oleochemical esters using lipase enzymes. Compared to traditional chemical synthesis processes, these chemo-enzymatic processes have clear advantages of greater efficiency, higher product quality and smaller environmental footprint. Their development to TRL7 will open up the way to their industrialization and thus lead to major positive economic and environmental impacts.