Water insoluble enzyme columns: Kinetic study on steady state and transient conditions

Abstract

Abstract The kinetic behavior of water insoluble enzyme columns was studied using the hydrolysis of GPNA ( N ‐glutaryl‐ L ‐phenylalanine‐ p ‐nitroanilide) by α‐chymotrypsin as a model. Thermal denaturation of soluble and insoluble enzyme was compared in a batch reactor and in a tubular reactor. Convection of metabolites, enzyme reaction, diffusion of metabolites across porous particles and the kinetic behavior of a water insoluble enzyme column were tested. The respective and mutual effects of the first two phenomena were comprehensively analyzed for both stationary state and transient conditions. When the ingoing substrate concentration was varying with time, convection‐reaction equations were solved by digital computation. The possible effects of diffusion limitations and unstirred layers are discussed.