Thermodynamic parameters monitoring the equilibrium shift of enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis/synthesis reactions in favor of synthesis in mixtures of water and organic solvent

The main strategy developed to shift the equilibrium state of a hydrolase-catalyzed hydrolysis/synthesis reaction consists in reducing water activity by addition of organic solvents in the reaction medium. We have used several mixtures of water and 1,4-butanediol, ranging from pure water to pure 1,4-butanediol, to study the hydrolysis/synthesis reaction of the N-Cbz-L-tryptophanyl-glycineamide dipeptide, catalyzed by alpha-chymotrypsin. In the presence of 1,4-butanediol, alpha-chymotrypsin also catalyzed the esterification reaction between this diol and N-Cbz-L-tryptophan; this ester hydrolysis/synthesis reaction has thus also been examined. The dipeptide and ester equilibrium concentrations increase when the water content of the reaction medium is decreased. Using our experimental data, we have determined the equilibrium constants of the hydrolysis/synthesis equilibria involving the nonionized forms of the protected amino acids, the estimated values of which are Ksp = 8 10(5) for the dipeptide and Kse = 78 for the ester respectively. They are true thermodynamic equilibrium constants, each related to a single, well-defined reaction equilibrium and with water activity being taken into account. If an organic solvent is added to the reaction medium these equilibria can be shifted towards synthesis by decreasing the water activity but also by modifying the ionization/neutralization equilibrium constant of the ionizable groups. These two effects depend both on the water content and on the nature of the organic solvent used, and, in particular, on its dielectric constant. Because of the importance of this parameter in our study, we discuss using it as an indicator to select an appropriate organic solvent to perform an enzyme-catalyzed synthesis.     

The effect of organic solvents on the equilibrium position of enzymatic acylglycerol synthesis

The effect of organic solvents on the equilibrium position of lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol and decanoic acid has been investigated. The reaction is carried out in an aqueous-organic two-phase system. In polar solvents, high mole fractions of monoacylglycerol and low mole fractions of triacylglycerol and measured, while in nonpolar solvents, the measured differences in the mole fractions of monodi-, and triacylglycerols are less. There is a good correlation between the ester mole fractions at equilibrium and the log P of the solvent (partition coefficient in n-octanolwater), however, only if the group of tertiary alcohols is excluded. In the plot of the easter mole fractions as a function of the logarithm of hte solubility of water in the organic solvent, the tertiary alcohols can be included; however, in this case other deviations appear.For the prediction of the effect of organic solvents on the ester mole fractions at reaction equilibrium in nondilute reaction systems with a water activity below 1, the program TREP (Two-phase Reaction Equilibrium Prediction) is developed, which is based on the UNIFAC group contribution method. With this model the equilibrium data are essentially predicted from basic thermodynamic data. The required equilibrium constants are estimated from experiments without an organic solvent in the reaction medium. The mole fractions calculated by TREP show the same trends as the experimentally measured mole fractions; however, some variation is observed in the absolute values. These deviations may be due to inaccuracies in the UNIFAC group contribution method. TREP is found to be a correct method to predict within some limits the ester mole fractions at equilibrium for all mixtures of solvents, substrates, and products. The production of monoester can be enhanced in reaction system with a sufficient high concentration of a polar solvent. In experiments with a triglymeto-decanoic acid ratio of 5, almost no di-and triesters can be detected at equilibrium. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Enzymatic Production of Alkyl Esters Through Lipase-Catalyzed Transesterification Reactions in Organic Solvents: Solvent Effects and Prediction Capabilities of Equilibrium Conversions

The solvent effect on the equilibrium position of the transesterification reaction of hexanol with ethyl acetate catalyzed by a lipase has been investigated in a variety of non-polar and polar solvents - and binary mixtures. The results obtained indicate that the solvent effect on the equilibrium conversion is very small as compared to that for the direct esterification reactions.

Equilibrium conversions were then predicted using the equilibrium constant for the reaction obtained from Gibbs free energy of formation information for reactants and products in combination with the UNIFAC activity coefficient model. A solvent independent equilibrium conversion was obtained, which was in good agreement with the observed average value for all solvents. This indicates that UNIFAC provides satisfactory estimates of the activity coefficients but its group contribution structure does not allow the prediction of the small differences in conversion among the solvents examined.

Finally plots of these conversions versus the solvent octanol/water partition coefficient or the solubility of water in the solvent, that provide the correct trend in direct esterification reactions, did not achieve the same for transesterification.     

Microbial lipases: at the interface of aqueous and non-aqueous media. A review

In recent times, biotechnological applications of microbial lipases in synthesis of many organic molecules have rapidly increased in non-aqueous media. Microbial lipases are the 'working horses' in biocatalysis and have been extensively studied when their exceptionally high stability in non-aqueous media has been discovered. Stability of lipases in organic solvents makes them commercially feasibile in the enzymatic esterification reactions. Their stability is affected by temperature, reaction medium, water concentration and by the biocatalyst's preparation. An optimization process for ester synthesis from pilot scale to industrial scale in the reaction medium is discussed. The water released during the esterification process can be controlled over a wide range and has a profound effect on the activity of the lipases. Approaches to lipase catalysis like protein engineering, directed evolution and metagenome approach were studied. This review reports the recent development in the field ofnon-aqueous microbial lipase catalysis and factors controlling the esterification/transesterification processes in organic media.     

In-situ upgrading of biomass pyrolysis vapors: catalyst screening on a fixed bed reactor

In-situ catalytic upgrading of biomass fast pyrolysis vapors was performed in a fixed bed bench-scale reactor at 500 °C, for catalyst screening purposes. The catalytic materials tested include a commercial equilibrium FCC catalyst (E-cat), various commercial ZSM-5 formulations, magnesium oxide and alumina materials with varying specific surface areas, nickel monoxide, zirconia/titania, tetragonal zirconia, titania and silica alumina. The bio-oil was characterized measuring its water content, the carbon-hydrogen-oxygen (by difference) content and the chemical composition of its organic fraction. Each catalytic material displayed different catalytic effects. High surface area alumina catalysts displayed the highest selectivity towards hydrocarbons, yielding however low organic liquid products. Zirconia/titania exhibited good selectivity towards desired compounds, yielding higher organic liquid product than the alumina catalysts. The ZSM-5 formulation with the highest surface area displayed the most balanced performance having a moderate selectivity towards hydrocarbons, reducing undesirable compounds and producing organic liquid products at acceptable yields.     

Reaction rate with suspended lipase catalyst shows similar dependence on water activity in different organic solvents.

We have studied the effect of thermodynamic water activity (a W) on the initial rate of esterification catalysed by an immobilised lipase (Lipozyme) suspended in an organic reaction mixture. The catalyst and the organic phase were separately pre-equilibrated to the same aw value. The rate shows similar dependence on aw in reaction mixtures based on five different organic solvents ranging in polarity from pentan-3-one to hexane, and in a liquid reactant mixture. There is a maximum at aw about 0.5, with a decline to 30-70% at aw of either 0.9 or less than 0.01. When the rates are presented in terms of water concentration in the organic phase (or total water content of the system), the maxima for the various solvents come at very different positions, reflecting the widely varying solubilities of water in the organic phase.     

Esterification In Organic Solvents: Selection Of Hydrolases And Effects Of Reaction Conditions

Fifty different hydrolases were screened for retention of high esterification activity in an organic solvent with citronellol as substrate. Although 22 hydrolases were very active as catalysts in the organic solvent, lipase from Candida cylindracea (lipase OF 360) was selected for further examination of the effects of reaction conditions on enzyme activity, with regard to catalyst availability and activity retention after immobilization. When the enzyme was entrapped in hydrophobic polyurethane gels, water-saturated isooctane was found to be the most suitable solvent, whereas polar solvents caused reversible catalyst inactivation. Entrapment significantly enhanced the operational stability of the lipase in the organic solvent.     

Transesterification of triglycerides in high and low quality oil feeds over an HT2 hydrotalcite catalyst

The use of a heterogeneous catalyst, in the transesterification reaction of refined and acidic cottonseed oil for the production of methyl-esters (biodiesel) has been studied. The basic Mg-Al-CO3 hydrotalcite catalyst used showed a high activity for methanolysis and esterification reactions in a refined and an acidic cottonseed oil as well as in a representative high water content animal fat feed. The experiments were performed in a temperature range between 180 and 210 degrees C, in a batch reactor. The methanol to vegetable oil molar ratio was 6 to 1, while the catalyst concentration was fixed at 1 wt.% of the oil mass. Non-calcined and calcined forms of the catalyst were tested. The activity of the calcined catalyst was lower than the initial activity of the non-calcined catalytic system but it appeared the same with the reused non-calcined system.     

Effect of water activity on the lipase catalyzed esterification of geraniol in ionic liquid [bmim]PF6

Enzymatic reactions in non-aqueous media have been shown to be effective in carrying out chemical transformation where the reactants are insoluble in water or water is a byproduct limiting conversion. Ionic liquids, liquid organic salts with infinitesimal vapor pressure, are potentially useful alternatives to organic solvents. It is known that the thermodynamic water activity is an important variable affecting the activity of enzymes in non-aqueous solvents. This study investigated the influence of water activity on the esterification of geraniol with acetic acid in ionic liquid [bmim]PF6 catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B. The conversion of geraniol in [bmim]PF6 was significant although the reaction rate was slower than in organic solvents. The profile of initial reaction rate-water activity was determined experimentally, and differed from the data reported for other non-aqueous solvents. A maximum in the initial reaction rate was found at aw = 0.6. The pseudo reaction equilibrium constant, Kx, was measured experimentally for the reaction. The average value of Kx in [bmim]PF6 was 12, 20-fold lower than the value reported for the same system in hexane.     

Enantioselective esterification of ibuprofen by a novel thermophilic Biocatalyst: APE1547

The enantioselective esterification of ibuprofen catalyzed by a novel thermophilic esterase (APE1547) from the archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1 was successfully conducted in organic solvents. The effects of acyl acceptor, substrate ratio, organic solvent, temperature, and water activity were investigated. Under optimum conditions, the highest enantioselectivity (E = 38.1) was obtained with a higher enzyme activity (216.5 μmol/g/h). Celites were added into the reaction mixture to remove the water produced in the esterification. The reaction achieved its equilibrium in approximately 96 h with a conversion of 57 and 99% (ee) of the un-reacted (S)-ibuprofen obtained.     

Effects of water activity on reaction rates and equilibrium positions in enzymatic esterifications

A technique of continuous water activity control was used to examine the effects of water activity on enzyme catalysis in organic media. Esterification catalyzed by Rhizopus arrhizus lipase was preferably carried out at a water activity of 0.33, which resulted in both maximal initial reaction rate and a high yield. When Pseudomonas lipase was used as catalyst it was beneficial to start the reaction at high water activity (giving the optimal reaction rate with this enzyme) and then shift to a lower water activity toward the end of the reaction to obtain a high yield. The apparent equilibrium constant of the reaction was influenced by the water activity of the organic solvent. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effects of water and silica gel on enzyme agglomeration in organic solvents

It has been observed that water, which is absolutely essential for enzyme activity, can induce the agglomeration of enzyme particles in organic media. Although enzyme agglomeration is significant in that it usually reduces enzyme activity and stability, little attention has been paid to the quantitative analysis of enzyme agglomeration behavior in nonaqueous bioactalytic systems. In this study, the effects of water and silica gel on enzyme agglomeration were investigated usingCandida rugosa lipase and cyclohexane as a model enzyme and an organic medium. The extent of enzyme agglomeration was quantified by sieve analysis of freeze-dried agglomerates. Increasing the water content of the medium increased the size of the enzyme agglomerates, and it was found that water produced during the esterification reaction could also promote the agglomeration of enzyme particles suspended in organic media. On the other hand, the size of the enzyme agglomerates was remarkably reduced in the presence of silica gel at the same water content. We also show that this increase in the size of enzyme agglomerates results in lower reaction rates in organic solvents.     

Short-chain flavour ester synthesis by immobilized lipase in organic media

Summary Mucor miehei lipase has been adsorbed on Celite and covalently bound to nylon. The obtained derivatives have been studied regarding their ability for synthetize several flavouring esters in biphasic aqueous/organic media. The influence of the immobilization procedure on the synthetic activity of the derivatives was considered. Solvent hydrophobicity and water content in the biphasic system influenced both enzyme stability and equilibrium displacements. In this way, solvents with log P>3.5 and less than 1% water were optimal. It was important to consider pH effects on enzyme microenvironment when using acidic substrates. Optimum temperature and reuse of the catalyst were also checked.     

Efficient immobilization of lipases by entrapment in hydrophobic sol-gel materials

The commercial application of lipases as biocatalysts for organic synthesis requires simple but efficient methods to immobilize the enzyme, yielding highly stable and active biocatalysts which are easy to recover. In this study, we present a novel method to achieve lipase immobilization by entrapment in chemically inert hydrophobic silica gels which are prepared by hydrolysis of alkyl-substituted silanes in the presence of the enzyme. A typical immobilization procedure uses: an aqueous solution of lipase; sodium fluoride as a catalyst; and additives like polyvinyl alcohol or proteins and alkoxysilane derivatives like RSi-(OMe)(3) with R = alkyl, aryl, or alkoxy as gel precursors. The effect of various immobilization parameters like stoichiometric ratio of water, silane, type and amount of additive, type and amount of catalyst, and type of silane has been carefully studied. The new method is applicable for a wide variety of lipases, yielding immobilized lipases with esterification activities enhanced by a factor of up to 88, compared to the commercial enzyme powders under identical conditions. Studies on the stability of sol-gel immobilized lipases under reaction conditions or storage (dry, in aqueous or organic medium) revealed an excellent retention of enzymatic activity. The possible reasons for the increased enzyme activities are discussed. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Chymotrypsin adsorbed to a polyethylene terephtalate support (SORSILEN) as a suitable model for the investigation of enzymatically catalyzed organic syntheses in nonaqueous media

Summary The kinetics of acetyl-L-tryptophan esterification by ethanol in an organic solvent immiscible with water (chloroform) and catalyzed by chymotrypsin adsorbed from aqueous solution to a polyethylene terephthalate copolymer (SORSILEN) was examined by HPLC. The esterification yield (in %) increased with the decreasing concentration of the substrate and with the increasing activity of immobilized chymotrypsin. It has been shown that there was no chymotrypsin leakage from the aqueous phase on the support surface during the catalysis.     

Enzymatic Reactions in Non-Conventional Media: Prediction of Solvent Water Content for Optimum Water Activity

Most enzymes provide their optimum performance at a given water activity (aw), which is generally solvent independent. For a given organic liquid solvent at a specific temperature or for a supercritical solvent at a specific temperature and pressure this corresponds to a water concentration in which water has the desired activity. We present here a methodology for predicting this water concentration thus reducing substantially the amount of experimental work needed to find the optimum solvent with respect to equilibrium conversion.

If the enzyme optimum water activity is known, the methodology predicts the required water content in the solvent to achieve this aw value. If, in addition, the enzyme water activity curve is available, this methodology provides the total water that must be added to the system (enzyme plus solvent) so that a specific water activity can be obtained.

The same methodology can also be applied to predict the effect of the total water content of the system (initial or initial plus produced) on the water activity values. It is shown that: (a) for esterification reactions taking place in hydrophobic organic solvents, the produced water can lead to a substantial change in water activity, but not for less hydrophobic solvents; (b) introduction of dry CO₂ into a system, pre-equilibrated to a certain water activity at atmospheric pressure, can lead to a substantial decrease in the water activity especially at temperatures just above the critical one of the solvent and pressures larger than that.     

Combining solvent engineering and thermodynamic modeling to enhance selectivity during monoglyceride synthesis by lipase-catalyzed esterification

Monoglyceride synthesis by Rhyzomucor miehei lipase was investigated via direct esterification between glycerol (adsorbed onto silica gel) and oleic acid in organic solvents. The main difficulty is to avoid the unwanted production of di- and tri-glycerides. It was demonstrated that an increase in solvent polarity, using mixtures of n-hexane and 2-methyl-2-butanol (2M2B), improves drastically the selectivity toward monoglyceride formation. In pure n-hexane, the monoglyceride represents only 6 molar % of the total products at the thermodynamic equilibrium (34 and 60% for di- and tri-glyceride respectively). Use of an equivolume mixture of n-hexane/2M2B enables a product mixture to be obtained containing 94% of monoglyceride at equilibrium (2.4 and 0% for di- and tri-glyceride respectively). This positive effect is counterbalanced by a decrease both in initial velocities and in substrate conversion at thermodynamic equilibrium.A modeling, able to predict the three thermodynamic equilibria governing the 3 consecutive reactions, based on activity coefficient calculations using the UNIFAC model, is proposed. It takes into account both the partition of water between solvent and immobilized catalyst, and the partition of glycerol between solvent and silica gel. A good correlation with experimental data obtained in n-hexane/2M2B mixtures was observed.     

Methanogenic transformation of aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols in groundwater aquifers

Fermentative and methanogenic bacteria have been found repeatedly as important members of microbial flora in anoxic zones of the subsurface—in pristine as well as in contaminated groundwater aquifers. These bacteria, which together with obligate proton reducers form complex methanogenic communities, are significant as decomposers of organic matter under conditions of exogenous electron acceptor depletion. Their metabolic activity has been demonstrated in laboratory microcosms derived from aquifer material, and also in the subsurface in situ. Methanogenic communities have been shown to transform numerous organic pollutants, or even to completely degrade these compounds with the production of carbon dioxide and methane. Depending on the chemical structure of the pollutant, such a compound can be used as an electron donor and a carbon/energy source for fermentative microorganisms (which is typically the case with highly reduced compounds); alternatively, a highly oxidized pollutant can be used as a potential electron acceptor or electron sink. This review addresses fermentative/methanogenic degradation of chlorinated and nonchlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols by subsurface microorganisms; for comparison, it briefly relates also other types of anaerobic transformations (under sulfate‐reducing, iron‐reducing, and denitrifying conditions). Furthermore, it outlines transformation pathways, those that are proposed as well as those that are already partially proved, for aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols under fermentative/methanogenic conditions; finally, it discusses the relevance of these processes to bioremediation of contaminated groundwater aquifers.     

Novel preparation method for surfactant-lipase complexes utilizing water in oil emulsions

A novel preparation method for surfactant-lipase complexes has been developed utilizing water in oil emulsions. In order to optimize the preparation conditions, we have investigated the effects of several operational parameters on the enzymatic activity of the surfactant-lipase complexes in organic media. When a nonionic surfactant was employed under optimal preparation conditions [alkaline pH 8-10, organic/aqueous = 90/10 (v/v), concentration of surfactant, 10 mM[, the surfactant-lipase complex efficiently catalyzed the esterification of benzyl alcohol with lauric acid in organic media. The esterification rate of the surfactant-lipase complex was increased over 16-fold relative to the native powder lipase. Furthermore, the lipase complex showed high storage stability. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 455-460, 1997.     

Rice bran lipase catalyzed esterification of palm oil fatty acid distillate and glycerol in organic solvent

Rice bran lipase (RBL) was delipidated to enhance its stability in organic solvent and its esterification activity at elevated temperature. The esterification activity of delipidated RBL increased as temperature was increased from 45 to 65°C. The esterification activity of delipidated RBL at 65°C was about 14 times greater than that of the non-delipidated RBL. As temperature was further increased to 75°C, the non-delipidated RBL lost all esterification activity, whereas the delipidated RBL retained approximately 48% of its esterilication activity. The delipidated RBL maintained a relative esterification activity greater than 80% after 16 h of incubation in hexane, whereas the non-delipidated RBL maintained a relative esterification activity of only 50%. A method for production of acylglycerol using delipidated RBL to esterify palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD) with glycerol in hexane was successfully developed. The effects of reaction temperatures and type of water removal agents (silica gel and molecular sieve) on the degree of esterification were also examined. A 4 h reaction at 65°C, catalyzed by delipidated RBL and using silica gel as the water removal agent resulted in 53.8% esterification. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that the esterified product was primarily comprised of mono-and di-acylglycerols.