High-Pressure Reactor Technology for Aerated Biotransformations

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-delta-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.