The making of industrial enzymes: challenges and opportunities
Engineering beyond the reaction
Enzymes have long been touted as powerful tools for improving the efficiency and sustainability of industrial processes, particularly in sectors like pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and chemical manufacturing. However, while the potential is undeniable, making enzymes viable on an industrial scale involves overcoming significant hurdles. From stability issues to cost-efficiency, enzymes require adapting to industrial environments through precise engineering and careful optimization.
Dr. Zvjezdana Findrik Blažević, a member of our RADICALZ team, addresses these issues through her research at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology and has shared her thoughts and insights on the matter with us.
Engineering resilience
One of the primary challenges in applying enzymes to industrial processes is maintaining their stability. Enzymes are delicate biological molecules that function optimally under specific conditions. However, these conditions are often much harsher in industrial settings, which can lead to lower activity of even complete deactivation. As Prof. Findrik Blažević explains, “Enzyme reactions are usually performed at room temperature, but industrial processes might require changes in pH or temperature that aren’t ideal for enzymes.”
The challenge is to engineer enzymes to be robust enough to withstand these conditions without losing their catalytic ability. Without this fine-tuning, enzymes can become ineffective, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Striking the right balance
Another challenge lies in the cost of producing and using enzymes. Enzymes are often seen as expensive, both to produce and to maintain in an industrial setting. While enzymes can make certain processes more efficient by reducing the number of steps required, this doesn’t always translate into a cheaper overall process.
The cost of producing enzymes must be weighed against the cost of the final product. For instance, if the enzyme itself is expensive to manufacture, the process must either generate a high-value product or find a way to use the enzyme more efficiently to maintain profitability. As Prof. Findrik Blažević notes, “You need a really good enzyme to produce a cheap product or, alternatively, a very high-value product to justify the cost of the enzyme.” Optimizing this balance is critical to making enzyme-driven processes both sustainable and economical at an industrial scale.
Aiming for long-lasting solutions
Even when enzymes are successfully adapted to industrial conditions, their longevity becomes a key issue. Enzymes naturally degrade over time as their structure changes due to factors like oxidation or temperature fluctuations. Once degraded, the enzyme loses its catalytic ability, needing the addition of fresh enzymes to maintain the process.
In an industrial setting, this degradation translates into increased costs, as companies need to continually replenish enzymes. Ideally, enzymes should be engineered not only to withstand harsh industrial conditions but also to maintain their activity over extended periods. “The goal is to make enzymes work as long as possible, so you’re not constantly adding more, which drives up costs,” Findrik explains.
The path forward for industrial enzymes
The future of enzymes in industrial processes is looking incredibly promising, but it’s not without its challenges. To unlock the full potential of enzymes, we need to tackle key issues like stability, cost-effectiveness, and longevity.
In RADICALZ, we are an example of the strides being made in overcoming these obstacles. Our advancements are paving the way for efficient enzyme discovery and engineering processes that can open new doors in industrial applications.
So, while the road ahead may have its bumps, the potential for innovative enzyme applications is brighter than ever!
