Increasing Rate of Enzyme Catalyzed Equilibrium Reactions
Reference Number: K 07-33
Inventors: Rezac, Mary; Nemser, Stuart
Owner: Kansas State University Research Foundation
USPTO Link:7,838,267
Invention Summary
It has been discovered that in the systems of enzyme catalyzed equilibrium reactions
in which water or methanol is a byproduct, extraordinarily beneficial reaction productivity
can be obtained by removing the byproduct from the reaction mass using selectively
permeable perfluoropolymer membranes. That is, the net rate of producing the desirable
product compound is dramatically increased relative to the net rate achieved without
removing the byproduct. The initial net rate of producing the desirable product, i.e.,
the rate at which the desired product is formed at up to about 50% conversion, is
especially enhanced.
Accordingly this invention provides, a method of conducting a chemical reaction to
make a reaction product and a byproduct comprising the steps of (A) providing reactants
for a reversible, enzyme catalyzed, chemical reaction in which the byproduct is selected
from the group consisting of water, methanol and a mixture thereof, (B) providing
an enzyme catalyst for the chemical reaction, (C) reacting the reactants in the presence
of the enzyme catalyst to form a reaction mass comprising the reaction product, the
byproduct and residual reactants, (D) contacting a membrane comprising a selectively
permeable layer comprising a perfluoropolymer with the reaction mass, (E) applying
a driving force across the membrane effective to selectively permeate the byproduct
and to retain a reaction mass depleted of the byproduct relative to the reaction mass
of step (C), (F) continuing the chemical reaction of the reaction mass depleted of
the byproduct, (G) collecting reaction mass, and (H) optionally, adding reactants
to the reaction mass of step (G) and repeating steps (C)-(G).