Production of Optically Pure (s)-ibuprofen Acid via Enzymatic Dynamic Kinetic Resolution in Hollow Fiber Membrane Reactor

(S)-Ibuprofen acid is classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is well-known to be useful in treating mild to moderate pain, fever and inflammation. The production of this optically pure compound poses a major challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. In the present technology, a hollow fiber membrane reactor (HFMR) system is innovatively designed to carry out dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of racemic Ibuprofen ester. DKR is described as a chiral separation technique that incorporates the classic kinetic resolution (KR) with in situ racemization. The operation principle of the HFMR is simple and environmental friendly. It combines the reaction, product separation and by-product recovery in a single unit. The design of the HMFR was clearly discussed in this article. The HFMR performance was studied by varying the important process parameters such as effect of alcohols, substrate and base concentration as well as the flow rates for both lumen and shell side. The HFMR gave product enantiomeric excess of 98.5% and 99% conversion at molar ratio of 1:3 with respect to the substrate and alcohol, 50 mM of base concentration, shell and lumen loop flow rates of 80 and 200 ml min respectively. The application of enzymatic biphasic membrane reactor for DKR provides a green and efficient way for obtaining the high purity product without any generation of by product.