In the process industries the optimal allocation of shared resources among physically coupled subsystems is key to an efficient operation of the overall system, e. g., an integrated production site. If the subsystems have a certain level of autonomy or it is desired to grant confidentiality to the constituent subsystems, price-based coordination can be employed, where an independent system operator (ISO) iteratively adjusts transfer prices for the shared resources until the demand and the sup...

Many industrial processes are coupled via multiple networks of energy and materials to achieve a resource and energy efficient production. In many cases however, setting up an integrated optimization problem for all units or plants that are directly connected to the networks is not possible, especially when not all information can be shared. In such cases, dual decomposition or price-based coordination can be used, where optimal transfer prices are iteratively determined at which the networks...

Applying multiphase systems in microreactors leads to an intensification of heat and mass transport. Critical aspects of the well-studied segmented slug-flow, such as bubble generation and pump control, can be automated, provided a robust sensor for the reliable determination of velocity, phase lengths, and phase ratio(s) is available. In this work, a fast and low-priced sensor is presented, based on two optical transmission sensors detecting flow characteristics noninvasively together with a...

Implant-associated infections still represent major clinical challenges, and the development of novel antimicrobial strategies for preventing implant colonization by microorganisms, such as biomaterials containing silver (Ag), is of great importance. Since ionic Ag (Ag+) is the biologically active form of Ag, the amount of released Ag+ determines its antibacterial activity and can be enhanced by surface enlargement (nanosilver) or by a sacrificial anode effect. Thus, this thesis aimed the cro...

Rotating Packed Beds (RPBs) are one of the most promising concepts for intensified modular equipment in the chemical industry. Based on flexible design and by means of centrifugal force, their operation can be adjusted according to the respective process requirements. Despite the large potential of RPBs, many years of research, and although RPBs have been successfully applied to numerous processes on a pilot scale, their industrial implementation is still scarce. One of the key reasons i...

We describe a holistic approach for achieving a nearly quantitative conversion for an enzymatic reaction while simultaneously increasing the long-term stability of the enzyme. The approach provided chemical control of bioreactions by utilizing newly synthesized tetrahydrothiophene-based ionic liquids (THT ILs). We showcased its power by using THT-ILs as additives at a low concentration (only 10 mmol L−1) in the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-catalyzed synthesis of methylated 1-phenylethanol (Me-...

Regulations and the public expectations on improving efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint and lowering the environmental impact drive the process industry towards improved operation and the development of new technologies. The efficiency of an existing production plant depends on a variety of factors like capacity utilisation, raw material quality, ambient temperature or operational performance. Identifying the influence of these factors on the performance of the plant helps to take...

Biocatalysis offers a broad spectrum of possible ecological and economic advantages over conventional chemical catalysis processes, e.g., lower energy consumption and high enantio selectivity. The focus of this work is on gas‐liquid reactions. These are of great importance in the chemical and biochemical industry and subject of current research since they are often limited by mass transfer or show low selectivity. Different suitable biocatalytically gas‐liquid reaction systems were tested in ...

Tropane alkaloids (TA) are important and valuable secondary plant metabolites which occur in the families of Solanaceae, Erythroxylaceae, as well as Convolvulaceae, Moraceae, and Brassicaceae. These plant families produce the TAs hyoscyamine and scopolamine, cocaine, or calystegines, respectively. Due to the medicinal and pharmacological properties of hyoscyamine, scopolamine and cocaine, TA containing plants have been used for thousands of years. Even today, many drugs are derived from TAs ...

Die Mitochondrien der Hefe besitzen über 1000 Proteine, von denen mehr als 99% durch nukleäre DNA und nur der Rest durch mitochondriale DNA kodiert wird. Um das Mitochondrium erreichen zu können, ist eine effiziente Protein-Zell-Signalweiterleitung notwendig, um die Moleküle nicht nur an das Organell selbst, sondern auch an eines der vier Subkompartimente des Mitochondriums korrekt zu adressieren. Mitochondriale Protein-Fehlzuordnung ist mit verschiedenen Krankheiten wie Alzheimer und Parkins...

Monoterpenes, such as the cyclic terpene limonene, are valuable and important natural products widely used in food, cosmetics, household chemicals, and pharmaceutical applications. The biotechnological production of limonene with microorganisms may complement traditional plant extraction methods. For this purpose, the bioprocess needs to be stable and ought to show high titers and space-time yields. In this study, a limonene production process was developed with metabolically engineered Esche...

Gas‐liquid‐liquid slug flow in a capillary reactor is a promising new concept that allows one to incorporate gas‐liquid reaction, liquid‐liquid extraction, and facile catalyst separation in a single unit. In order to assess the performance of a gas‐liquid‐liquid slug flow reactor, it is necessary to predict the slug velocity and pressure drop to ascertain residence times and reaction rates. New empirical models for velocity and pressure drop were developed based on existing models for two‐pha...

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are ubiquitous hemeproteins that insert oxygen specifically into substrates leading to diverse chemical transformations. Utilizing their capabilities, microbial whole‐cell biocatalysts are applied in pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry to produce biomolecules and drug metabolites. In order to synthesize novel bioactive compounds there is a great demand to identify P450s with new reaction and substrate scope. In this study, genome mining and an acti...

The growing demand for flexible and compact separation technologies has promoted the application of high‐gravity technology, like rotating packed beds (RPBs). Mass transfer characterization and packing design play an important role in the development of this technology. This article provides a systematic approach towards the evaluation of packing and the development of advanced packing design for distillation in RPBs. For the latter, an additive manufacturing approach is used to develop a new...

Poly(2‐oxazoline)s (POxs) with 2,2′‐iminodiacetate (IDA) end groups were investigated as inhibitors for laccase. The polymers with the IDA end groups are reversible, competitive inhibitors for this enzyme. The IC50 values were found to be in a range of 1–3 mm. Compared with IDA alone, the activity was increased by a factor of more than 30; thus indicating that attaching a polymer chain to an inhibitor can already improve the activity of the former. The enzyme activity drops to practically zer...

For better understanding and optimization of multiphase flow in miniaturized devices, micro‐computed tomography (μCT) is a promising visualization tool, as it is nondestructive, three‐dimensional, and offers a high spatial resolution. Today, computed tomography (CT) is a standard imaging technique. However, using CT in microfluidics is still challenging, since X‐ray related artifacts, low phase contrast, and limited spatial resolution complicate the exact localization of interfaces. We apply ...

Zur Überwindung des hohen kohlenstoffdioxidspezifischen Energieeintrags bei Temperaturwechseladsorptionskonzepten für Direct‐Air‐Capture‐Prozesse wird eine Anwendung hoch‐wärmeintegrierter Verfahrenskonzepte untersucht. Die detaillierte Modellierung und Simulation eines Band‐ als auch Wanderbettadsorberkonzeptes deutet darauf hin, dass eine Rückgewinnung der sensiblen Wärme des Adsorbens von mehr als 90 % erreicht werden kann. Hier eröffnet eine Kombination der vorgestellten Konzepte mit eine...

For process development on lab‐scale, it is necessary to have equipment that represents the industrial apparatuses as similar as possible to offer short time‐to‐market. Accordingly, a draft tube baffle (DTB) crystallizer was scaled down from typical m3‐scale to 1 L filling volume. The suspension characteristics were determined for fluidized crystals in saturated solution. For further characterization of the DTB tank, the residence time of the liquid and solid phases were experimentally determ...

Thermoresponsive hydrogels are of great importance as smart materials. They are usually composed of cross‐linked polymers with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Although much is known about networks of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), all other polymers are somewhat neglected. In this work, the temperature‐dependent swelling behavior of differently cross‐linked thermoresponsive poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PEtOx) hydrogels were investigated with regard to varying parameters of the netwo...