Next-Generation Catalysis for Renewables: Combining Enzymatic with Inorganic Heterogeneous Catalysis for Bulk Chemical Production

Nowadays, production of bulk and commodity chemicals from renewable feedstocks is widely debated and investigated as an alternative to the fossil platform. The conversion of biomass necessitates the development of a new generation of catalysts that enable new kinds of reactions from a different chemical platform under different conditions than those conventionally employed. Indeed, new process and catalyst concepts need to be established. Both enzymatic catalysis (biocatalysis) and heterogeneous inorganic catalysis are likely to play a major role and, potentially, be combined. One type of combination involves one-pot cascade catalysis with active sites from bio- and inorganic catalysts. In this article the emphasis is placed specifically on oxidase systems involving the coproduction of hydrogen peroxide, which can be used to create new in situ collaborative oxidation reactions for bulk chemical production.