SusECAS - DemoPlant · Metaraminol Demonstration Plant as Commercialisation Blueprint for Sustainable Production of Pharmaceuticals using Enzyme Cascades

The development of more environmentally friendly synthesis methods is urgently needed if humanity wants to maintain an environment worth living in. The establishment of more biocatalytic steps in chemical synthesis is a possible solution, as enzymes and whole cells offer sustainable advantages such as biodegradability, toxicity, high selectivity and much more.Amino alcohols and 2-hydroxy ketones are valuable compounds with various applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry with market prices >1000 /kg, but challenging synthesis strategies. As a result of synthesis options with disastrous footprints, these molecules are often produced in countries with poor working conditions and significantly lower safety and environmental standards than those accepted in the EU.The idea of 'SusECAS - DemoPlant' is simple. An innovative economic and ecological competitive process will enable a sustainable production of amino alcohols in Europe. In the ERC Starting Grant project 'LightCas', Prof. Rother laid the base with an atomic and step-efficient enzymatic 2-step reaction for amino alcohols from inexpensive starting materials (<10-100 /kg). In 'SusECAS' we will take these innovative synthesis ideas to a new level of industrial application. A multi-gram demonstration plant will enable model-based process evaluation, giving us and our customers clear indications of the ecological and economic potential. A systematic market analysis will provide an overview of the competitive structure of the overall market, the market volume and the requirements of potential customers. Supported by business angels, commercialization strategies will be evaluated. In 'SusECAS', we will develop a business plan for commercialization and initiate a step-by-step market introduction of our products and technologies.