Laminated PAA nanofibers as a practical support for crude laccase: A new perspective for biocatalytic treatment of micropollutants in wastewaters

Abstract

Increasing concentrations of endocrine disrupting pollutants from countless human activities represent an increasingly serious threat to the environment. However, crude microbial enzymes that are easily obtained from nature may serve as eco-friendly and cost-effective biocatalysts for polluted wastewater treatment. In this work, crude laccase, obtained from white-rot fungi Trametes versicolor, was covalently immobilized onto laminated poly(acrylic acid) nanofibers and its biocatalytic activity and stability tested on real wastewater effluent. The immobilized crude laccase retained almost 80% of its initial activity after 35 days of storage in wastewater, with no significant inhibition of enzymatic activity caused by the high concentrations of inorganic salts or cations. Most importantly, immobilized laccase proved highly effective in degrading a mixture of bisphenol A, 17α-ethinylestradiol, triclosan and diclofenac in wastewater effluent over 14 days. Based on these results, crude laccase from T. versicolor could represent an important new perspective for wastewater treatment.