Biocatalysis explained: from pharmaceutical to bulk chemical production

Abstract

Biocatalysis is one of the most promising technologies for the sustainable synthesis of molecules for pharmaceutical, biotechnological and industrial purposes. From the gram to the ton scale, biocatalysis is employed with success. This is underpinned by the fact that the global enzyme market is predicted to increase from $7 billion to $10 billion by 2024. This review concentrates on showing the strong benefits that biocatalysis and the use of enzymes can provide to synthetic chemistry. Several examples of successful implementations of enzymes are discussed highlighting not only high-value pharmaceutical processes but also low-cost bulk products. Thus, biocatalytic methods make the chemistry more environmentally friendly and product specific.