Quantitative and Non‐Quantitative Assessments of Enzymatic Electrosynthesis: A Case Study of Parameter Requirements

• Published in: ChemElectroChem Vol. 10; no. 24
• Main Authors: Sayoga, Giovanni, Abt, Michael, Teetz, Niklas, Bueschler, Victoria, Liese, Andreas, Franzreb, Matthias, Holtmann, Dirk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim John Wiley & Sons, Inc 13.12.2023; Wiley-VCH
• Subjects: Assessments; Biocatalysis; Business metrics; Chemical reactions; Electrobiotechnology; Enzymatic electrosynthesis; Enzymes; Hydrogen peroxide; Indicators; Performance indicators; Process parameters; Sustainable development; Unspecific peroxidases
• ISSN: 2196-0216; 2196-0216
• DOI: 10.1002/celc.202300226

The integration of enzymatic and electrochemical reactions offers a unique opportunity to optimize production processes. Recently, an increasing number of laboratory‐scale enzymatic electrosyntheses have shown impressive performance indicators, leading to scientific interest in technical implementation. However, important process parameters are missing in most of the relevant literature. On one hand, this is due to the large variety of relevant performance indicators. On the other hand, enzyme technologists and electrochemists use different parameters to describe a process. In this article, we review the most important performance indicators in electroenzymatic processes and suggest that in order to allow quantitative comparison, these indicators should be reported in all respective publications. In addition to quantitative parameters, non‐quantitative assessments often need to be included in a final evaluation. Examples of such parameters are sustainability, contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals or interactions with the overall process. We demonstrate the evaluation of processes using hydrogen peroxide‐dependent peroxygenases. The strength of the proposed evaluation system lies in its ability to identify weaknesses in a process at an early stage of development. Finally, it can be concluded that all evaluated enzymatic electrosynthesis do not yet meet typical industrial requirements for an enzyme‐based process. Compare, contrast, scrutinize and decide: Various process options can be used to bring enzyme processes to industrial application; these include electroenzymatic processes. To evaluate the processes quantitatively, appropriate performance indicators must be determined. In addition, there are non‐quantitative variables that need to be considered. This article shows how laboratory processes can be evaluated and how options for action can be identified.