Chemie Ingenieur Technik, Vol.88, No.1-2, 147-157, 2016
Evaluation of the Enzymatic Reactive Distillation for the Production of Chiral Compounds
In this work we investigated the feasibility of resolution and production of chiral compounds in an enzymatic reactive distillation column. Here, the transesterification of racemic 1-phenylethanol with isopropenyl acetate was chosen as the model system. Enzyme kinetics with the enzymatic catalyst Candida antarctica lipase B immobilized on polymer beads were investigated experimentally. Based on those, a detailed model of enzymatic reactive distillation was developed and a subsequent model-based process analysis showed the achievement of high conversion rates and a full separation of the reaction products.