Characterization and use of a penicillin acylase biocatalyst

Abstract
A complete characterization of a penicillin acylase biocatalyst is presented, including the determination of physicochemical and kinetic parameters. Stability studies are detailed in terms of both storage temperature and pH as well as operational stability after 150 batch reactions of two hours duration each. An Arrhenius-type model was used to simulate the effect of pH on biocatalyst stability. A kinetic model is proposed to describe batch and continuous stirred tank reactors and to predict the long-term behavior of the process.