The need to use renewable raw materials within the chemical and biotechnological industry is continuously increasing. Process intensification makes it possible to describe new processes, to make existing processes more efficient and sustainable or simply to reduce investments and operating costs through innovation. Currently, the research group is divided into two areas, which in turn consider different research projects and ideas: The holistic consideration of hybrid and reactive processes as well as process intensification through innovative methods.
Reactive and hybrid processes
The integration of two unit operations in one apparatus is an innovative method of process intensification. It generally allows an increase in selectivity, direct energy integration and savings in the area of investment and operating costs. The main disadvantages are the increased complexity and restrictions in the operational degrees of freedom. Nevertheless, it is reactive and hybrid processes that enable certain products to be economically presented and obtained in the first place. The aim of this work is not only to demonstrate the experimental feasibility but also to model the individual sub-processes in order to simulate the overall process. Due to the high complexity of these processes, sensitivity studies can be used to demonstrate the potential of the processes and to determine a holistically optimal operating range.
Innovative methods for characterising enzymatic reactions
In biotechnology, mathematical models are particularly important for quantitatively understanding and predicting the behaviour of enzymes under different conditions. The modelling of enzymatic reactions enables the analysis of kinetics and reaction mechanisms. This is crucial for increasing the efficiency and yield of biocatalytic processes. Such models also support the identification of optimal reaction conditions such as pH, temperature and substrate concentration and facilitate the scale-up from laboratory reactions to industrial production. In addition, mathematical models can be used to study inhibition effects, enzyme stability and interactions with different solution components. However, the development of such models is associated with a high experimental effort. As part of our research, we are investigating which innovative and interdisciplinary methods can be used to minimise the experimental effort and still be able to identify the kinetic parameters.
