Enzymatic processing in microfluidic reactors

Abstract

Microreaction technology is an interdisciplinary area of science and engineering. It has attracted the attention of researchers from different fields in the past few years and consequently, several microreactors have been developed. Enzymes are organic catalysts used for the production useful substances in an environmentally friendly way, and have high potential for analytical applications. However, relatively few enzymatic processes have been commercialized because of problems in the stability of enzyme molecule, and the cost and efficiency of the reactions. Thus, there have been demands for innovation in process engineering particularly for enzymatic reactions, and microreaction devices can serve as efficient tools for the development of enzyme processes. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of microchannel reaction technologies and focus our discussion on enzyme microreactors. We discuss the manufacturing process of microreaction devices and the advantages of microreactors compared with the conventional reactors. Fundamental techniques for enzyme microreactors and important applications of this multidisciplinary technology in chemical processing are also included in our topics. © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.