Process for enzymatically preparing carboxylic esters
View Patent ↗Process for enzymatically synthesizing carboxylic esters, characterized in that mixing and discharge of the water of reaction are effected by introducing a gas while achieving low effectiveness ratios EV.
1. A process for enzymatically synthesizing a carboxylic ester, the process comprising:
mixing an alcohol and a carboxylic acid with an enzyme capable of, and under conditions sufficient for, synthesizing a carboxylic ester, thereby producing a reaction mixture comprising said carboxylic ester and water;
introducing a gas to the reaction mixture at a flow rate sufficient to discharge the water from the reaction mixture;
wherein the process provides a lower effectiveness ratio (EV) than a corresponding process in which gas is not introduced to the reaction mixture; and
wherein the enzyme is covalently or noncovalently fixed in particulate form to a support material.
2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the support material has a mean particle size of greater than 0.5 μm.
3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the introduced gas is selected from the group consisting of air, lean air, oxygen, nitrogen, noble gases, and carbon dioxide.
4. The process according to claim 2 , wherein said mixing step comprises mixing at a temperature of 20° C. to 100° C.
5. The process according to claim 2 , wherein a 95% conversion of the carboxylic acid to said carboxylic ester is achieved with an effectiveness ratio EV 95 of <3.0.
6. The process according to claim 2 , wherein 98% conversion of the carboxylic acid to said carboxylic ester is achieved with an effectiveness ratio EV 98 of <4.0.
7. The process according to claim 2 , wherein 99% conversion of the carboxylic acid to said carboxylic ester is achieved with an effectiveness ratio EV 99 of <5.0.
8. The process according to claim 2 , wherein 99.6% conversion of the carboxylic acid to said carboxylic ester is achieved with an effectiveness ratio EV 99.6 of <8.0.
9. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the gas is air or nitrogen.
10. The process according to claim 9 , wherein said mixing step comprises mixing at a temperature of 20° C. to 100° C.
11. The process according to claim 10 , wherein 99.6% conversion of the carboxylic acid to said carboxylic ester is achieved with an effectiveness ratio EV 99.6 of <8.0.
12. The process according to claim 11 , wherein 99.6% conversion of the carboxylic acid to said carboxylic ester is achieved with an effectiveness ratio EV 99.6 of <5.0.
13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the introducing of the gas is via sparging.
14. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the introducing of the gas is via sparging.
15. The process according to claim 12 ,
wherein the alcohol is myristyl alcohol;
wherein the carboxylic acid is myristic acid; and
wherein the carboxylic ester is myristyl myristate.