Extremozymes: A green alternative for industrial catalysis

Many industrial processes are performed by using chemical reactions which, in many cases, produce hazardous or toxic waste harmful to nature. As an alternative to the use of chemicals, biocatalysis is becoming a widely popular option, where whole cells or enzymes are used as catalysts to perform industrial processes in an efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. However, the vast majority of industrial processes are carried out under harsh physical and chemical conditions. Standard enzymes have tight specific requirements to function, and many times these requirements are quite different to industrial processing settings, where enzymes are easily denatured.  Therefore, to replace chemical processes by using biocatalysis, there is a clear need for novel enzymes with properties that can cope with industrial conditions.

Among enzymes technologies, the best options to use under industrial settings are enzymes from extremophilic microorganisms, or extremozymes. They present different adaptations which allow them to be optimally active and stable under extreme conditions, such as low and elevated temperatures, wide ranges of pHs, organic solvents and high ionic strength. Throughout years of applied research, extremophiles have become an excellent source of novel biocatalysts with proven success in several industrial processes. Swissaustral using a functional approach has been able to discover several novel extremozymes with interesting properties which make them candidates for several applications in industry. In this presentation, some extremozymes and their novel properties will be discussed. Also, the biological sources from where they have been discovered will be presented.