High-Pressure Reactor Technology for Aerated Biotransformations

Abstract

Utilizing pressure as a process parameter can make biotechnological processes more efficient and attractive compared to established ones. This paper presents a high-pressure reactor setup for enzymatically catalyzed gas–liquid reactions, which can be operated up to 15.0 MPa. The reactor is equipped with optical measurement technology for inline and in situ monitoring of the oxygen concentration under high-pressure conditions. The setup is characterized by assessing the influence of the process parameter pressure on the conversion of the glucose oxidation to d-glucono-δ-lactone by immobilized glucose oxidase. The study demonstrates that the increased oxygen availability due to higher solubility reduces the reaction time in a batch reactor from 270 to 90 min.