Modeling of Process Operation Principles for the Immobilized Enzyme Candida Antarctica under Activity Decay

Environmentally friendly processes that use enzymatic catalysts are often affected by faster deactivation than their conventional catalyst competitors. An intelligent process design that increases the lifetime of the enzyme Candida Antarctica Lipase B in an epoxidation reaction is described. Employing this strategy could result in an advancement of the competitiveness of the cost-intensive biological catalyst. With parallel fixed bed reactors operating in staggered mode and extended by an activity-dependent volume flow control, the lifetime and productivity of the enzyme were significantly increased. The process strategy presented is not limited to the underlying reaction system but can be applied to similar processes facing a fast activity decay.