Tunable Enzymes and the Leaner, Greener CPI

Figure 1. Enzymes play a key role in the production of cellulosic ethanol. First industrial-scale plants are now coming onstream, such as this one in Crescentino, Italy[/caption] Enzymes, nature’s catalysts, have been used in industrial processes for centuries. Now, they are coming into their own in the chemical process industries (CPI). As green chemistry becomes an industry mantra, pressures to reduce product cost, facility carbon footprint and overall environmental impact are driving more companies to seek alternatives to traditional, catalyst-driven chemical syntheses. Convincing skeptics is mounting evidence that, where feasible, enzymatic processes can increase product yield, dramatically reduce requirements for solvent and catalyst, as well as the number of steps and the overall costs of a chemical process. Last year, the industrial enzymes market grew by 5% to $3.7 billion, according to Novozymes (Bagsvaerd, Denmark; www.novozymes.com), a company that manufactures roughly half of the world’s industrial enzyme output and currently pumps about 14% of its earnings back into research and development. By 2020, demand for green chemical processes could reach $98.5 billion, and save global industries, including the CPI, over…