title: Potential applications of immobilized bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) peroxidase in the removal of phenols from polluted water.
abstract: The potential applications of immobilized bitter gourd peroxidase in the treatment of model wastewater contaminated with phenols have been investigated. The synthetic water was treated with soluble and immobilized enzyme preparations under various experimental conditions. Maximum removal of phenols was found in the buffers of pH values 5.0-6.0 and at 40 degrees C in the presence of 0.75 mM H(2)O(2). Fourteen different phenols were independently treated with soluble and immobilized bitter gourd peroxidase in the buffer of pH 5.6 at 37 degrees C. Chlorinated phenols and native phenol were significantly removed while other substituted phenols were marginally removed by the treatment. Phloroglucinol and pyrogallol were recalcitrant to the action of bitter gourd peroxidase. Immobilized bitter gourd peroxidase preparation was capable of removing remarkably high percentage of phenols from the phenolic mixtures. Significantly higher level of total organic carbon was removed from the model wastewater containing individual phenol or complex mixture of phenols by immobilized bitter gourd peroxidase as compared to the soluble enzyme. 2,4-dichlorophenol and a phenolic mixture were also treated in a stirred batch reactor with fixed quantity of enzyme for longer duration. The soluble bitter gourd peroxidase ceased to function after 3h while the immobilized enzyme was active even after 6h of incubation with phenolic solutions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, UP, India.
authors.forename: Suhail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.forename: Qayyum
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Husain
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D003636:DEAE-Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D029777:Momordica charantia / Q000201:enzymology*; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000737:chemistry*; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002244:Carbon; D003636:DEAE-Cellulose; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010544:Peroxidases