Modeling and kinetic parameter estimation of alcohol dehydrogenase‐catalyzed hexanol oxidation in a microreactor

A mathematical model for hexanol oxidation catalyzed by NAD+‐dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from baker's yeast in a microreactor was developed and compared with the model when the reaction takes place in a macroscopic reactor. The enzyme kinetics was modeled as a pseudo‐homogeneous process with the double substrate Michaelis–Menten rate expression. In comparison with the kinetic parameters estimated in the cuvette, a 30‐fold higher maximum reaction rate and a relatively small change in the saturation constants are observed for the kinetic parameters estimated in the continuously operated tubular microreactor (Vm1=197.275 U/mg, Kmhexanol=9.420 mmol/L, and Km1NAD+=0.187 mmol/L). Kinetic measurements performed in the microreactor, estimated from the initial reaction rate experiments at the residence time of 36 s, showed no product inhibition, which could be explained by hydrodynamic effects and the continuous removal of inhibiting products. The Fourier amplitude sensitivity test method was applied for global kinetic parameter analysis, which shows a significant increase in the sensitivity of Km1NAD+ in the microreactor. Independent experiments performed in the microreactor were used to validate and to verify the developed mathematical model.