Green chemistry fermentation processes

There has been considerable growth of interest in so-called Green Chemistry or Sustainable Chemistry over the last quarter century. The terms Green and Sustainable have given new prominence to fermentation and enzyme-mediated processes and to systems that operate in water. Such processes build on the already major contribution that fermentation processes make to the pharmaceutical industry. As an aside, several important classes of API owe their commercial success to the fermentation of microorganisms ... 

In the examples presented below fermentation is compared with traditional chemical manufacturing processes, emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of fermentative production techniques from a Green Chemistry viewpoint. 

Replacement of the chemical step with a biocatalytic step is the first move toward green chemistry, which is followed by replacing the entire multiple-step process with a single fermentation process. Also, scientists have realized that biotechnology routes are inherently safe and mild and do not adversely impact the environment. Heterogeneous catalysis also appears to offer several advantages since the reactions are clean and selective. Also, the spent catalyst can be filtered and recovered for later use. 

Bioengineering is also seen as a promising technique for achieving green chemistry goals. A number of important process chemicals can be synthesized in engineered organisms, such as shikimate, a Tamiflu precursor which is fermented by Roche in bacteria. 

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