In Germany, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new class of materials by producing enzymes as foams that have enormous durability and activity. The new biomaterials open up versatile avenues for innovations in industrial biotechnology, material sciences or even food technology.
In order to further develop the field of industrial biocatalysis, which is mainly used in the production of pharmaceuticals and speciality chemicals, researchers are working intensively on new process technologies. In biocatalysis, enzymes instead of chemical catalysts accelerate the reactions, thus saving raw materials and energy. The goal is now to provide enzyme biocatalysts continuously and in large quantities under the gentlest possible conditions. In order to realise efficient material transformations, the enzymes are immobilised in microstructured flow reactors. They are spatially fixed and bound to a reaction-bearing material and thus have limited mobility, which leads to a higher concentration of enzymes and thus to higher productivity.
