Stable and continuous long-term enzymatic reaction using an enzyme-nanofiber composite

Area of Science:

• Biocatalysis
• Materials Science
• Enzyme Engineering

Background:

• Enzyme immobilization is crucial for industrial biocatalysis.
• Nanofiber supports offer high surface area for enzyme attachment.
• Developing stable enzyme composites is key for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and evaluate enzyme-nanofiber composites for stable, long-term biocatalytic operations.
• To assess the operational stability and reusability of immobilized esterase.
• To demonstrate the application of these composites in continuous substrate hydrolysis.

Main Methods:

• Coating esterase from Rhizopus oryzae onto nanofibers.
• Characterizing the kinetic parameters (apparent K_m) of free and immobilized enzymes.
• Assessing enzyme-nanofiber stability through mechanical stress and long-term storage.
• Evaluating performance in repeated batch and continuous reactor systems.

Main Results:

• Immobilized esterase showed a 1.48-fold increase in apparent K_m compared to free enzyme.
• Enzyme-nanofibers retained 80% activity after 100 days and 30 reuse cycles.
• Continuous hydrolysis demonstrated stable p-nitrophenol production for over 400 hours.

Conclusions:

• Enzyme-nanofiber composites provide a stable and reusable platform for biocatalysis.
• These composites are suitable for both repeated-batch and continuous long-term operations.
• The developed system shows significant potential for industrial enzyme applications.