Three Sides of the Same Coin: Combining Microbial, Enzymatic, and Organometallic Catalysis for Integrated Conversion of Renewable Carbon Sources

Abstract

All catalysts have unique abilities. This is especially true for microbial, enzymatic, and organometallic catalysis, which are often seen as competitive approaches preventing the exploitation of their complementarity. An increasing number of examples show, how using the complete catalytic spectrum can open roads from new substrates to new products. C1‐compounds such as formate, formaldehyde, methanol, or methane from CO2 in combination with green H2 are likely to be future sources of carbon feedstock. This short review highlights how combinations of different catalyst types can facilitate integrated reaction sequences with biogenic substrates to form “bio‐hybrid” fuels and products.

Acetoin production by resting cells of Lactococcus lactis for direct electrochemical synthesis of 2-butanone

“…These investigations illustrate that experimental assessment of process chains under realistic conditions is necessary when determining the feasibility of integrated processes. 39…”