Pamela Mendioroz

Advances in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology have greatly expanded the ability to design microbial cell factories. However, improved biological performance does not necessarily ensure the economic or sustainability feasibility of a biotechnological process. This work introduces the concept of Minimal Targets, defined as the minimum titer, rate (productivity), or yield values required to satisfy predefined feasibility criteria. The proposed framework formulates strain performance indicators as optimization variables within a mathematical programming approach, integrating process modeling with mass and energy balances and techno-economic and/or sustainability constraints. For single-product processes, Minimal Targets are obtained as unique threshold values, whereas multiproduct systems are formulated as multiobjective optimization problems to identify Pareto frontiers or surfaces representing trade-offs among performance requirements. The methodology is demonstrated using a cyanobacteria-based biorefinery producing biomass, phycocyanin, and bioethanol. The framework identifies whether experimentally available or computationally predicted strains satisfy the required targets and quantifies the performance gap when they do not. Minimal Targets provide a quantitative decision-support tool for guiding strain engineering, evaluating process alternatives, and aligning microbial development with industrial feasibility requirements from the earliest stages of bioprocess design.

Herein, an eco-friendly palladium-catalyzed tandem reaction for the one-pot synthesis of carbazoles under microwave irradiation is reported. This approach involves an amination and a direct arylation from available and inexpensive anilines and 1,2-dihaloarenes. For the development of this purpose, a novel recoverable palladium nanocatalyst supported on a green biochar under ligand-free conditions is used. Compared with other existing palladium-based protocols, the present synthetic methodology shows a drastic reduction in reaction times and excellent compatibility with different functional groups, allowing to obtain a small library of carbazoles with high yields and regioselectivity. The novel heterogeneous palladium nanocatalyst can be recycled and reused up to five times without significant loss activity.

We report an efficient, selective, rapid and eco-friendly protocol for the one-step synthesis of a small xanthone library via an intermolecular catalytic coupling from readily available salicylaldehydes and 1,2-dihaloarenes under ligand-free conditions. To achieve this advantageous direct annulation, we used a novel recoverable palladium nanocatalyst supported on a green biochar under microwave irradiation. Unlike other existing palladium-based approaches, our synthetic strategy showed a greater operational simplicity, drastic reduction in reaction times, and an excellent tolerance to diverse functional groups. The reaction proceeds in very good yields and with high regioselectivity. The novel heterogeneous catalyst can be recycled and reused up to four times without significant loss of activity.