Over the last decades, the number of bioprocesses successfully run at industrial scale has been increasingly growing mainly due to the development of technologies for the immobilization of enzymes and microorganisms. These immobilization techniques allow an easy recovery and reuse of the biocatalysts with the subsequent reduction of materials and down-stream costs . The modern biotechnology makes use yet of immobilization supports to intensify industrial biotransformation reactions based on the use of whole cells of microorganisms and enzymes. Environmental technologies for wastewater and air treatment take advantage of immobilization of microorganisms, e.g. biofilms of rotating discs, percolating filters or cell aggregates in the activated sludge process, where the recycling of microorganisms relies on the capability of microorganisms to flocculate. The immobilization/aggregation or retention (e.g. in MBR) mechanisms can help to operate stable wastewater treatment. In order to take on challenges of stability and efficiency of bioremediation processes related to the introduction of microorganisms and enzymes for the targeted elimination of pollutants, the strategy of MINOTAURUS relied on the immobilization of these biocatalysts. The project applied these approaches on various scales from lab to pilot plants, taking advantage of the natural propensity of microorganisms and enzymes to attach on support material for the development of advanced bioremediation technologies. The technologies initially selected for development within MINOTAURUS were: bioaugmentation of membrane reactors using immobilized cells to degrade EDCs and PPCPS, packed-bed bioreactors bioaugmented with immobilized cells for the remediation of CAH-contaminated groundwater via aerobic cometabolism, bioaugmentation of packed-bed bioreactors for the elimination of MTBE/TBA/BTEX with immobilized cells from groundwater, biofilm at the surface of solid-state electrodes serving as electron donor or acceptor, rhizosphere as natural support material for biodegrading microorganisms, immobilization of enzymes for the elimination of EDCs, MTBE, and PPCPs (immobilization of laccase on fumed-silica and membranes or via cross-linked enzyme aggregates of laccase).
Immobilization techniques for biocatalysts
FRASCARI, DARIO;ZANAROLI, GIULIO
2015
Abstract
Over the last decades, the number of bioprocesses successfully run at industrial scale has been increasingly growing mainly due to the development of technologies for the immobilization of enzymes and microorganisms. These immobilization techniques allow an easy recovery and reuse of the biocatalysts with the subsequent reduction of materials and down-stream costs . The modern biotechnology makes use yet of immobilization supports to intensify industrial biotransformation reactions based on the use of whole cells of microorganisms and enzymes. Environmental technologies for wastewater and air treatment take advantage of immobilization of microorganisms, e.g. biofilms of rotating discs, percolating filters or cell aggregates in the activated sludge process, where the recycling of microorganisms relies on the capability of microorganisms to flocculate. The immobilization/aggregation or retention (e.g. in MBR) mechanisms can help to operate stable wastewater treatment. In order to take on challenges of stability and efficiency of bioremediation processes related to the introduction of microorganisms and enzymes for the targeted elimination of pollutants, the strategy of MINOTAURUS relied on the immobilization of these biocatalysts. The project applied these approaches on various scales from lab to pilot plants, taking advantage of the natural propensity of microorganisms and enzymes to attach on support material for the development of advanced bioremediation technologies. The technologies initially selected for development within MINOTAURUS were: bioaugmentation of membrane reactors using immobilized cells to degrade EDCs and PPCPS, packed-bed bioreactors bioaugmented with immobilized cells for the remediation of CAH-contaminated groundwater via aerobic cometabolism, bioaugmentation of packed-bed bioreactors for the elimination of MTBE/TBA/BTEX with immobilized cells from groundwater, biofilm at the surface of solid-state electrodes serving as electron donor or acceptor, rhizosphere as natural support material for biodegrading microorganisms, immobilization of enzymes for the elimination of EDCs, MTBE, and PPCPs (immobilization of laccase on fumed-silica and membranes or via cross-linked enzyme aggregates of laccase).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
