Immobilization of Phospholipase B on Amphiphilic Janus SiO₂: A Green and Sustainable Interfacial Biocatalysis...

This study constructs an immobilized phospholipase system based on mesoporous silicon-based Janus microspheres and validates its exceptional performance in efficient interfacial biocatalysis. This system employs a Janus nanocarrier (HMSS-NH₂-C₈-Janus). The carrier was functionalized via a Pickering emulsion strategy, which grafted hydrophilic amino groups and hydrophobic octyl groups onto opposite hemispheres. This well-designed amphiphilicity not only facilitates effective immobilization of phospholipase B (PLB) but, more importantly, enables the resulting PLB@HMSS-NH₂-C₈-Janus to act as an excellent stabilizer for Pickering emulsions. Within this emulsion system, the biocatalyst spontaneously anchors at the oil-water interface, forming a dense, high activity monolayer that optimally orients the enzyme for substrate interaction. When applied to the model reaction of enzymatic degumming of rapeseed oil, the system achieved a degumming efficiency of 96.6% and a 99% oil recovery. At the same time, the residual phosphorus content after degumming in this system was 1.8-2.3 times lower than that of free PLB and homogeneous carrier immobilized enzyme. Furthermore, it exhibited excellent reusability and achieved a 96% degumming efficiency after five consecutive cycles. This work elucidates the rational design of amphiphilic Janus materials for efficient interfacial biocatalysis in oil-processing applications.