Biofilms and their engineered counterparts: A new generation of immobilised biocatalysts

The robust nature of biofilms makes them medicinally difficult to treat, however this same property renders them an attractive method for protecting and immobilising enzymes for biotransformation. Although biofilms consisting of a consortium of different microbial species have been routinely used in water purification for many decades, there are few reported examples of single species biofilms being harnessed for industrial applications. The potential of using tailored single species biofilms in order to catalyse a biotransformation of choice is attractive; we reflect upon recent advances in the use and generation of such platforms, from both biological and process engineering viewpoints.