Whole-Cell Biocatalysis in Ionic Liquids.

The use of whole-cell biocatalysis in ionic liquid (IL)-containing systems has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Compared to bioreactions catalyzed by isolated enzymes, the major advantage of using whole cells in biocatalytic processes is that the cells provide a natural intracellular environment for the enzymes to function with in situ cofactor regeneration. To date, the applications of whole-cell biocatalysis in IL-containing systems have focused on the production of valuable compounds, mainly through reduction, oxidation, hydrolysis, and transesterification reactions. The interaction mechanisms between the ILs and biocatalysts in whole-cell biocatalysis offer the possibility to effectively integrate ILs with biotransformation. This chapter discusses these interaction mechanisms between ILs and whole-cell catalysts. In addition, examples of whole-cell catalyzed reactions with ILs will also be discussed. Graphical Abstract.