Dephenolization of industrial wastewaters catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase
A new enzymatic method for the removal of phenols from industrial aqueous effluents has been developed. The method uses the enzyme polyphenol oxidase which oxidizes phenols to the corresponding o-quinones; the latter then undergo a nonenzymatic polymerization to form water-insoluble aggregates. Therefore, the enzyme in effect precipitates phenols from water. Polyphenol oxidase has been found to nearly completely dephenolize solutions of phenol in the concentration range from 0.01 to 1.0 g/L. The enzymatic treatment is effective over a wide range of pH and temperature; a crude preparation of polyphenol oxidase (mushroom extract) is as effective as a purified, commercially obtained version. In addition to phenol itself, polyphenol oxidase is capable of precipitating from water a number of substituted phenols (cresols, chlorophenols, naphthol, etc.). Also, even pollutants which are unreactive towards polyphenol oxidase can be enzymatically coprecipitated with phenol. The polyphenol oxidase treatment has been successfully used to dephenolize two different real industrial wastewater samples, from a plant producing triarylphosphates and from a coke plant. The advantage of the polyphenol oxidase dephenolization over the peroxidase-catalyzed one previously elaborated by the authors is that the former enzyme uses molecular oxygen instead of costly hydrogen peroxide (used by peroxidase) as an oxidant.
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge
- OSTI ID:
- 6756318
- Journal Information:
- Biotechnol. Bioeng.; (United States), Vol. 26:6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS
EFFICIENCY
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
WASTE WATER
PHENOLS
PRECIPITATION
REMOVAL
PURIFICATION
CATALYSTS
ENZYME ACTIVITY
OXIDOREDUCTASES
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ENZYMES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLYSIS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LIQUID WASTES
LYSIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVOLYSIS
WASTES
WATER
320305* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management