Chiang Mai University and collaborators screened nine deep-eutectic solvents with Candida magnoliae whole cells for phenylacetylcarbinol production. Choline chloride:glycerol performed best; the 20%-water system reached 148.2 mM total PAC, while a 100%-water, 1:1 DES:buffer condition improved productivity and spontaneously formed a PAC-rich top phase around 2.5 M. This integrates reaction with initial separation at laboratory scale, not yet proven sustainable at process scale.
Key findings
- Glycerol DESs outperformed others. ChCl:Gly 1:2 with 20% water reached 148.2 ± 0.3 mM PAC. Adding 100% water reduced PDC-activity stability but doubled productivity and lowered solvent cost. A 1:1 DES:buffer ratio was optimal, and PAC-rich top droplets reached about 2.5 M. The 100%-water 1:1 system was selected for future work.
Why this matters globally
PAC is an intermediate for pharmaceutical and chemical synthesis. In-situ separation may reduce solvent extraction and product inhibition if scalable, with relevance to green manufacturing and biorefineries.
Thai researcher contribution
Chiang Mai University's Agro-BCG team, with Lampang Rajabhat and Hezhou University, developed the process from solvent screening through integrated separation.
Limitations to consider
Conversion, isolated recovery/purity, mass balance and DES/cell recycle cycles are not reported. A 2.5 M droplet phase is not overall yield. 'Green' status depends on feedstock, water, recovery and toxicity. Scale-up mixing and phase disengagement remain untested.