Enzymatic Reactions in Near Critical CO2: The Effect of Pressure on Phenol Removal by Tyrosinase

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Priscilla Amaral³  Daniela Garcia³  Miguel Cardoso¹  Marisa Mendes²  Maria Alice Coelho³ 

[1] Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; E-Mail:;Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR 465, Km 7, 23890, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil; E-Mail:;School of Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CT, Bl. E, Cidade Universitária, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; E-Mails:

关键词: tyrosinase;    supercritical CO₂;    enzymatic reaction;    phenol;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms10125217

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The use of enzymes in supercritical CO₂ (SCCO₂) has received extensive attention in recent years. Biocatalysts have the advantage of substrate specificity and SCCO₂ offers several advantages over liquid solvents. This work deals with the utilization of SCCO₂ as a medium for the enzymatic removal of phenol from aqueous solutions using tyrosinase. Since the presence of oxygen is crucial for the enzyme-catalyzed oxidation, the substantial solvating power of SCCO₂ makes it a promising medium for such reactions. The conversion of phenol was higher at 10 MPa. Under near critical conditions (7 MPa, 35 °C), the addition of air at 5 × 10⁵ Pa of pressure improved phenol removal.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.