ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Dye decolorisation by laccase immobilised in lens-shaped poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel capsules

Radek Stloukal, Jarmila Watzková, and Barbora Gregušová

LentiKat’s a.s., Pod Vinicí 83, 471 27, Stráž pod Ralskem, Czech Republic

E-mail: stloukal@lentikats.eu

Abstract: In this study, laccase (from Trametes versicolor, 8.3 U mg_enz ⁻¹) was used for the decolorisation of Saturn Blue L4G (10 mg L⁻¹). The efficiency of the decolorisation (ratio between the amount of decolorised dye and initial amount of dye) by a free enzyme was 48 % and the decolorisation rate was determined at 2.11 × 10⁻³ mg_dye mg_enz ⁻¹ min⁻¹. After immobilisation in lens-shaped poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel capsules LentiKats® Biocatalyst (LB) (concentration of immobilised enzyme: 4 mg per g of particles; volume-loading rate of LB: 10 g per 100 mL of medium), the enzyme retained 16.1 % of its original activity (1.34 U mg_enz ⁻¹). Immobilised laccase was used for the dye decolorisation in 130 repeated batch tests with 71 % efficiency (LB activity: 7 × 10⁻³ mgdye min⁻¹ g_LB ⁻¹). In continuous mode (after 716.5 h), the efficiency of the dye decolorisation was 48 % (LB activity: 3.3 × 10⁻⁴ mg_dye min^/−1 g_LB ⁻¹).

Keywords: decolorisation – laccase – immobilisation – poly(vinyl alcohol) – LentiKats® capsules

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-014-0601-3

Chemical Papers 68 (11) 1514–1520 (2014)