Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme
The presence of micropollutants in wastewater is one of the most significant environmental challenges. Particularly, pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues present high stability and resistance to conventional physicochemical and biological degradation processes. Thus, we aimed at immobilizing a...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/3/298 |
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| author | Laura D. Sotelo Diana C. Sotelo Nancy Ornelas-Soto Juan C. Cruz Johann F. Osma |
| author_facet | Laura D. Sotelo Diana C. Sotelo Nancy Ornelas-Soto Juan C. Cruz Johann F. Osma |
| author_sort | Laura D. Sotelo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The presence of micropollutants in wastewater is one of the most significant environmental challenges. Particularly, pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues present high stability and resistance to conventional physicochemical and biological degradation processes. Thus, we aimed at immobilizing a laccase enzyme by two different methods: the first one was based on producing alginate-laccase microcapsules through a droplet-based microfluidic system; the second one was based on covalent binding of the laccase molecules on aluminum oxide (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) pellets. Immobilization efficiencies approached 92.18% and 98.22%, respectively. Laccase immobilized by the two different methods were packed into continuous flow microreactors to evaluate the degradation efficiency of acetaminophen present in artificial wastewater. After cyclic operation, enzyme losses were found to be up to 75 µg/mL and 66 µg/mL per operation cycle, with a maximum acetaminophen removal of 72% and 15% and a retention time of 30 min, for the laccase-alginate microcapsules and laccase-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> pellets, respectively. The superior catalytic performance of laccase-alginate microcapsules was attributed to their higher porosity, which enhances retention and, consequently, increased the chances for more substrate–enzyme interactions. Finally, phytotoxicity of the treated water was lower than that of the untreated wastewater, especially when using laccase immobilized in alginate microcapsules. Future work will be dedicated to elucidating the routes for scaling-up and optimizing the process to assure profitability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:22:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d53a86ccccb84338a226d43b94008f66 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:22:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-d53a86ccccb84338a226d43b94008f662023-11-30T21:28:28ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752022-03-0112329810.3390/membranes12030298Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process SchemeLaura D. Sotelo0Diana C. Sotelo1Nancy Ornelas-Soto2Juan C. Cruz3Johann F. Osma4CMUA, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19A-40, Bogota 111711, ColombiaCMUA, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19A-40, Bogota 111711, ColombiaLaboratorio de Nanotecnología Ambiental, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey, N. L., Monterrey 64849, MexicoDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19A-40, Bogota 111711, ColombiaCMUA, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19A-40, Bogota 111711, ColombiaThe presence of micropollutants in wastewater is one of the most significant environmental challenges. Particularly, pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues present high stability and resistance to conventional physicochemical and biological degradation processes. Thus, we aimed at immobilizing a laccase enzyme by two different methods: the first one was based on producing alginate-laccase microcapsules through a droplet-based microfluidic system; the second one was based on covalent binding of the laccase molecules on aluminum oxide (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) pellets. Immobilization efficiencies approached 92.18% and 98.22%, respectively. Laccase immobilized by the two different methods were packed into continuous flow microreactors to evaluate the degradation efficiency of acetaminophen present in artificial wastewater. After cyclic operation, enzyme losses were found to be up to 75 µg/mL and 66 µg/mL per operation cycle, with a maximum acetaminophen removal of 72% and 15% and a retention time of 30 min, for the laccase-alginate microcapsules and laccase-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> pellets, respectively. The superior catalytic performance of laccase-alginate microcapsules was attributed to their higher porosity, which enhances retention and, consequently, increased the chances for more substrate–enzyme interactions. Finally, phytotoxicity of the treated water was lower than that of the untreated wastewater, especially when using laccase immobilized in alginate microcapsules. Future work will be dedicated to elucidating the routes for scaling-up and optimizing the process to assure profitability.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/3/298microreactorslaccase immobilizationacetaminophenmicropollutantwastewater treatment |
| spellingShingle | Laura D. Sotelo Diana C. Sotelo Nancy Ornelas-Soto Juan C. Cruz Johann F. Osma Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme Membranes microreactors laccase immobilization acetaminophen micropollutant wastewater treatment |
| title | Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme |
| title_full | Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme |
| title_short | Comparison of Acetaminophen Degradation by Laccases Immobilized by Two Different Methods via a Continuous Flow Microreactor Process Scheme |
| title_sort | comparison of acetaminophen degradation by laccases immobilized by two different methods via a continuous flow microreactor process scheme |
| topic | microreactors laccase immobilization acetaminophen micropollutant wastewater treatment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/3/298 |
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