Breaking down biopolymers and plastics: Why use enzymes in moist-solid reaction mixtures?
Enzymes are typically manipulated as dilute aqueous solutions. This is however remote from their natural environment. For example, it is well-recognized that the cell is a highly crowded milieu, with a total molecule concentration estimated to ~400 mg/mL. Furthermore, many enzymes are secreted by microorganisms in the environment (e.g. cellulases, chitinases, and cutinases), and work directly on surfaces exposed to air moisture. From this perspective, we envisaged that some enzymes might have evolved to work optimally in moist-solid mixtures. This led to the development of an unconventional and highly efficient method for biocatalysis without bulk water. Our process, coined RAging, is based on alternating periods of brief, gentle ball milling and static incubation (aging). RAging is especially promising for poorly soluble and chemically recalcitrant substrates such as biomass and plastic waste.
Short Biography
After graduate studies focusing on a Diels-Alderase at University of Alberta and a postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Francisco to work on heme proteins, Auclair joined the McGill chemistry department in 2002 at the rank of Assistant Professor. She was promoted Associate Professor with Tenure in 2009, and Full Professor in 2016. Among several awards, Auclair holds the Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobials and Green Enzyme, and is recipient of two McGill Professorships (Fessenden and Tomlinson), and of the Leo Yaffe teaching award. Her success is further reflected in several patents, >100 invited seminars around the world, several patents, and close to 100 peer-reviewed publications in high profile journals, many of which have been highlighted extensively. Auclair is a bioorganic chemist recognized internationally for her contributions to the field of antibiotic resistance, and more recently, for the innovative concept of mechanoenzymology in moist-solid reaction mixtures.
