Continuous enzymatic polymerization of 4-bromophenol initiated by UV irradiation

TL;DRAbstract

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) can be used for the treatment of halogenated phenolic substances. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide the toxic phenols are oxidized to form polymers which undergo partial dehalogenation. However, when immobilized, the peroxidase is subject to inactivation due to blockage of the active sites by the growing polymers and to deactivation by excess levels of hydrogen peroxide. When HRP immobilized on a novel glass-based support which incorporates titanium dioxide is subjected to UV irradiation, the nascent polymer is removed and hydrogen peroxide is produced. In this work a reactor was constructed that utilized HRP immobilized on the novel support to treat 4-bromophenol (as model substrate) under UV A or UVB irradiation and the in situ production of hydrogen peroxide. The system was operated for almost 17 hours with no apparent decline in activity.

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