Production of fuels and chemicals through microbial fermentation of plant material is a desirable alternative to petrochemical-based production. Fermentative production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals requires the engineering of biocatalysts that can quickly and efficiently convert sugars to target products at a cost that is competitive with existing petrochemical-based processes. It is als...

Biodesulfurization offers an attractive alternative to conventional hydrodesulfurization due to the mild operating conditions and reaction specificity afforded by the biocatalyst. The enzymatic pathway existing in Rhodococcus has been demonstrated to oxidatively desulfurize the organic sulfur occurring in dibenzothiophene while leaving the hydrocarbon intact. In order for biodesulfurization to ...

Lipases (3.1.1.3) are ubiquitous, biogenic enzymes which hydrolyses the triacylglycerols at water-oil interface. Many species of animals, plants, and microbes produces lipases. The organisms able to produce lipases could tolerate organic solvents, high temperature, is industrial interest. Apart from its natural aqueous catalysis it also performs synthetic reactions in non-aqueous conditions, ha...

The entrapment of enzymes in organic, inorganic or biomaterials can yield active immobilized biocatalysts for chemical transformations without the need to form covalent bonds with protein.

A mechanistic analysis of the various mass transport and kinetic steps in the microbial desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) by Rhodococcus erythropolis IGTS8 in a model biphasic (oil-water), small-scale system was performed. The biocatalyst was distributed into three populations, free cells in the aqueous phase, cell aggregates and oil-adhered cells, and the fraction of cells in each popu...