IOCB - Research

INDUSTRIAL & BIORENEWABLE PROJECTS

Bridging science and Industrial applications

Overview

The development of competitive production processes for pharmaceuticals as well as bulk chemicals represents a challenging task for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. A promising approach to achieve such processes is the design of retrosynthetic routes by means of enzymes as catalysts, thus leading to a minimized number of steps, low solvent consumption and avoidance of toxic substrates, reagents and catalysts. A particular focus of our research is on those types of enzymatic processes for this purpose, which fulfill the criteria of high efficiency, sustainability and scalability.

Industrial pharmaceutical projects

In a number of projects, for example, novel syntheses of key intermediates or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of Rosuvastatin, Cefotaxime, Tamsulosin, and Vildagliptin have been developed. Current strategies for the production of generic pharmaceuticals comprise issues of novel retro-syntheses and the integration of flow processes. The development of competitive production processes for generic pharmaceuticals represents a challenging task. One approach to achieve such processes is the design of alternative retrosynthetic routes with minimized number of steps, low solvent consumption and avoidance of toxic substrates, reagents and catalysts. Industrial research partners in this field of novel synthetic approaches towards pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals by means of enzyme catalysis are, for example, Sandoz Products GmbH, PharmaZell GmbH, Entrechem, Enzymicals and Mitsubishi Chemical / API Corporation.

Bulk chemicals from biorenewables

A current challenge is the development of novel routes towards industrial chemicals, which are based on biorenewable feedstocks. Such novel bio-based production routes are of interest for so-called bulk chemicals, which are manufactured at a production volume being at least in the range of a multi-thousand tons scale. In our research work we address for example the development of a novel chemoenzymatic approach towards linear aliphatic nitriles as well as dinitriles, which avoids the utilization of cyanide as a reagent being used in many chemical syntheses of nitriles. Typically nitriles are used as solvents, intermediates for lubricants or monomers for polymer production. Over the past years we cooperated closely with leading international as well as local companies to include green products into their product lines. Industrial research partners in this field of novel synthetic approaches towards bulk chemicals starting from biorenewable raw materials are, for example, BASF, Klüber Lubrication München, OXEA Chemicals (now: OQ) and Windmöller.

EFRE-Project Sustainable Production of Nitrile-Based Industrial Chemicals (Grand no. EFRE-0400138)

Sustainable Production of Nitrile-Based Industrial Chemicals: Within today’s „industrial product tree“, nitrile compounds represent a highly important product class in the areas of fine chemicals as well as bulk chemicals. In spite of their high importance, however, their manufacture still is connected with challenges. By means of two patent applications Bielefeld University established a basis for an environmentally friendly, cyanide-free production of nitriles in the field of fine and bulk chemicals. The project supported by EFRE “Sustainable Production of Nitrile-Based Industrial Chemicals” (Grand no. EFRE-0400138) centers on the optimization and further development of these technology platforms. Selected target products are the pharmaceutical Vildagliptin and the polymer precursor adiponitrile.
(Original project title and abstract in German language: „Nachhaltige Produktion von Nitril-Industriechemikalien“: Im heutigen "industriellen Produktstammbaum" nimmt die Produktklasse der Nitrile eine herausragende Bedeutung im Bereich der Fein- sowie Bulkchemikalien ein. Trotz der großen Bedeutung stellt die Herstellung im industriellen Maßstab unverändert eine große Herausforderung dar. Mit zwei Patentanmeldungen legte die Universität Bielefeld den Grundstein für die umweltfreundliche Cyanid-freie Produktion von Nitrilen im Bereich von Fein- und Bulkchemikalien. Das von EFRE geförderte Projekt „Nachhaltige Produktion von Nitril-Industriechemikalien (Grand no. EFRE-0400138)“ (Förderkennzeichen EFRE-0400138) finanziert die Optimierung und Weiterentwicklung dieser Technologieplattformen. Exemplarische Beispiele für Zielprodukte sind der Arzneistoff Vildagliptin und die Polymervorstufe Adiponitril.)