Reduced environmental impact
Biocatalysis is an enabling technology which can assist in the development of processes with low environmental impact. The high selectivity of biological catalysts can reduce the number of steps in a synthetic process by eliminating the need for protection and deprotection strategies. In addition, selective functional group modification reduces by product formation creating more efficient processes with reduced waste. Unlike heavy metals which are commonly used in the chemical industry, biocatalysts are environmentally acceptable reagents as they are completely biodegradable.