The Olon Group has created an international network of scientific excellence to launch large-scale biocatalysis as an industrial technology used within its production facilities in Italy and around the world.
 
The partnership, bringing together some of the most advanced expertise in the field of biocatalysis from both academic and industrial spheres, unites the Olon Group, Biosphere—an Italian SME specialized in fermentation and industrial biotechnology—and the Biocatalysis Group of the Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS-Biocat) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The HIMS-Biocat group, headed by Prof. Francesco Mutti, has pioneered ground-breaking research in the area of enzyme engineering and the use of enzymes for performing novel, sustainable and “green” chemical reactions.
 
The partnership forms part of a wider Olon Group strategy involving long-term investment in the in-house development of advanced technology, applied in the production of active ingredients, with biotechnology as one of its highest priorities.
 
“Biotechnology enables us to develop more sustainable chemical processes, reducing environmental impacts and increasing cost-effectiveness, to the benefit of our partners. The process certainly becomes more efficient and the reduction in environmental impacts is considerable,” commented Olon Group CEO, Paolo Tubertini.
 
“We have acted as a catalyst and aggregator for international excellence, thanks to a rapid and flexible approach that enables us to introduce top expertise to our processes, quickly and sustainably, and make this available to our partners. In our vision, this is a first step that, over the coming years, will lead us to convert a portion of our existing reactions to biocatalysis, and to develop new reactions with this new technology,” continued Tubertini.
 
With the expertise implemented by the University of Amsterdam and Biosphere, it will be possible to identify the most effective enzyme for the type of reaction required before scaling up its production to industrial levels. Biosphere is an Italian leader in the sector, with a mission to implement biotechnology in industrial processes with a circular economy approach.
 
“We are proud to be members of this strategic partnership promoted by Olon. Biocatalysis is surely one of the most promising solutions to introduce innovation in chemical synthesis, and the aim of this project is to put together solid outstanding academic research and industrial vision and capabilities, to develop new production routes that will be both environmentally and economically sustainable,” said Marco Pistocchi, chief operating officer of Biosphere.
 
“We joined this partnership with great enthusiasm as it will also allow us to make a wider impact on society, industry and environment. Our major aims are to develop new biocatalysts and biocatalytic systems for the sustainable and efficient synthesis of organic molecules that are relevant for the chemical industry as well as to address fundamental questions of bioorganic chemistry and biochemistry. We believe that the advancement in the field of biocatalysis can meet the changing needs of industry and has a decisive impact on the future of the next generations on our planet,” added Prof. Francesco Mutti from the University of Amsterdam.