Purification of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase by using immobilized metal affinity cryogels

Sulfolane Crystal Templating: A One-Step and Tunable Polarity Approach for Self-Assembled Super-Macroporous Hydrophobic Monoliths

Freeze-casting (ice templating) is generally used to prepare super-macroporous materials. However, water solubility limits the application of freeze-casting in hydrophobic material fabrication. In the present work, inexpensive and low-toxic sulfolane was used as a novel crystallization-induced porogen (sulfolane crystal templating) to prepare super-macroporous hydrophobic monoliths (cryogels) with tunable polarity. The phase transition of sulfolane consisted of reversible processes in the liquid, semi-crystalline, and crystalline states. Because of the density change during phase transition, liquid sulfolane experienced a 16.4% volume shrinkage per unit mass. Thus, the cryogels obtained using the conventional freezing method contained obvious hollow-shaped defects. Furthermore, a novel route of pre-cooling, pre-crystallization, crystal growth, freezing, and thawing (PPCFT) was employed to prepare cryogels with defect-free macroscopic morphology and uniform pore structure. The as-obtained cryogels were composed of a super-macroporous structures and interconnected channels, and their porosity ranged between 85 and 97%. Moreover, the cryogels manifested good hydrophobicity (contact angle = 120-130°) and had absorption capacities greater than 10 g g^-1 for oils and organic liquids. The maximum absorption capacities of the resultant cryogels in dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and liquid paraffin were 60.3, 35.8, and 15.2 g g^-1, respectively. Moreover, sulfolane could conveniently dissolve hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers to generate amphiphilic cryogels (contact angle = 130-0°). Therefore, sulfolane crystal templating is a potential fabrication method for super-macroporous hydrophobic materials with tunable polarity.

Application of black walnut (Juglans nigra) husk for the removal of lead (II) ion from aqueous solution

The biosorption characteristics of Pb (II) ions from aqueous solution using black walnut (Juglans nigra) seed husk (WSH) biomass were investigated using batch adsorption techniques. The effects of pH, contact time, initial Pb (II) ion concentration, and temperature were studied. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data. It was found that the adsorption of Pb (II) ions onto WSH was best described by the Freundlich adsorption model. Biosorption kinetics data were tested using the pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order models, and it was observed that the kinetics data fitted the pseudo-second order model. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard Gibbs free energy change (ΔG⁰), standard enthalpy change (ΔH⁰) and standard entropy change (ΔS⁰) were evaluated. The result showed that biosorption of Pb (II) ions onto WSH was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The FTIR study showed that the following functional groups: O-H, C = O, C-O, C-H and N-H were involved in binding Pb (II) ions to the biomass.

Immobilization of alcohol dehydrogenase onto metal-chelated cryogels

In this presented work, poly(HEMA-GMA) cryogel was synthesized and used for the immobilization of alcohol dehydrogenase. For this, synthesized cryogels were functionalized with iminodiacetic acid and chelated with Zn(2+). This metal-chelated cryogels were used for the alcohol dehydrogenase immobilization and their kinetic parameters were compared with free enzyme. Optimum pH was found to be 7.0 for both immobilized and free enzyme preparations, while temperature optima for free and immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase was 25 °C. Kinetic constants such as K(m), V(max), and k(cat) for free and immobilized form of alcohol dehydrogenase were also investigated. k(cat) value of free enzyme was found to be 3743.9 min(-1), while k(cat) for immobilized enzyme was 3165.7 min(-1). Thermal stability of the free and immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase was studied and stability of the immobilized enzyme was found to be higher than free form. Also, operational stability and reusability profile of the immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase were investigated. Finally, storage stability of the free and immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase was studied, and at the end of the 60 days storage, it was demonstrated that, immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase was exhibited high stability than that of free enzyme.

A new morphological approach for removing acid dye from leather waste water: preparation and characterization of metal-chelated spherical particulated membranes (SPMs)

In this study, p(HEMA-GMA) poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) spherical particulated membranes (SPMs) were produced by UV-photopolymerization and the synthesized SPMs were coupled with iminodiacetic acid (IDA). Finally the novel SPMs were chelated with Cr(III) ions as ligand and used for removing acid black 210 dye. Characterizations of the metal-chelated SPMs were made by SEM, FTIR and swelling test. The water absorption capacities and acid dye adsorption properties of the SPMs were investigated and the results were 245.0, 50.0, 55.0 and 51.9% for p(HEMA), p(HEMA-GMA), p(HEMA-GMA)-IDA and p(HEMA-GMA)-IDA-Cr(III) SPMs respectively. Adsorption properties of the p(HEMA-GMA)-IDA-Cr(III) SPMs were investigated under different conditions such as different initial dye concentrations and pH. The optimum pH was observed at 4.3 and the maximum adsorption capacity was determined as 885.14 mg/g at about 8000 ppm initial dye concentration. The concentrations of the dyes were determined using a UV/Vis Spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 435 nm. Reusability of p(HEMA-GMA)-IDA-Cr(III) SPMs was also shown for five adsorption-desorption cycles without considerable decrease in its adsorption capacity. Finally, the results showed that the metal-chelated p(HEMA-GMA)-IDA SPMs were effective sorbent systems removing acid dye from leather waste water.

Energy and environmental usage of super porous poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propan sulfonic acid) cryogel support

Superporous and nonporous p(AMPS) cryogels and hydrogels were prepared under freezing conditions (−18 °C) and at room temperature (25 °C), respectively.