Development of a laccase-based flow injection electrochemical biosensor for the determination of phenolic compounds and its application for monitoring remediation of Kraft E1 paper mill effluent

Nanomaterial-based electrochemical enzymatic biosensors for recognizing phenolic compounds in aqueous effluents

With the rapid development of industrial society, phenolic pollutants already identified in water are severe threats to human health. Traditional detection techniques like chromatography are poor in the ability of cost-effectiveness and on-site detection. In recent years, electrochemical enzymatic biosensors have attracted increasing attention for use in the recognition of phenolic compounds, which is considered an effective strategy for the product transfer of portable analytical devices. Although electrochemical enzymatic biosensors provide a fast, accurate on-site detection technique, the difficulties of enzyme deactivation, poor stability and low sensitivity remain to be solved. Thus, effective immobilization methods of enzymes and nanomaterials with excellent properties have been extensively researched to obtain a high-sensitivity and high-stability biosensing platform. Simultaneous detection of multiple phenols may become the focus of further research. In this review, we provide an overview of recent progress toward electrochemical enzymatic biosensors for the detection of phenolic compounds, including enzyme immobilization approaches and advanced nanomaterials, especially nanocomposites with attractive properties such as good conductivity, high specific surface area, and porous structure. We will comprehensively discuss the features and mechanisms of the main enzymes adopted in the construction of different phenolic biosensors, as well as traditional methods (e.g., adsorption, covalent bonding, entrapment, encapsulation, cross-linking) of enzyme immobilization. The most effective method is based on the properties of enzymes, supports and application objective because there is no one-size-fits-all method of enzymatic immobilization. The emphasis will be given to various advanced nanomaterials, including their special nanostructures, preparation methods and performance. Finally, the main challenges in future research on electrochemical phenolic biosensors will be discussed to provide further perspectives for practical applications in dynamic and on-site monitoring. We believe this review will deliver an important inspiration for the construction of novel and high-performance electrochemical biosensors from enzyme selection to nanomaterial design for the detection of various hazardous materials. We believe this review will deliver an important inspiration on the construction of novel and high-performance electrochemical biosensors from the enzyme selection to the nanomaterial design for detections of various hazardous materials.

Near real-time analysis of para-cresol in wastewater with a laccase-carbon nanotube-based biosensor

Para-Cresol is a water-soluble organic pollutant, which is harmful to organisms even at low concentrations. Therefore, it is important to rapidly detect the p-cresol in wastewater as well as natural water. In this work, a new, simple and stable biosensor was developed for on-site quantitatively determination and near real-time monitoring p-cresol in wastewater. The new biosensor was designed and fabricated using a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified by waste-derived carbon nanotubes (CNTs) immobilized with laccase (LAC). The fabrication processes and performance of the biosensors were systematically characterized and optimized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemical methods. With improved conductivity, the proposed biosensor could provide the direct quantitation of p-cresol. The linear range of the biosensor is 0.2-25 ppm of p-cresol with a detection limit of 0.05 ppm. Additionally, the biosensor exhibited high reproducibility, stability and reusability during the validation. More importantly, the biosensor was successfully applied for the rapid detection of p-cresol in environmental lab wastewater under the interference of metal ions and other organics, and the results were consistent with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Finally, the biosensor with a portable potentiostat was approved as an easy-to-use, sensitive and inexpensive platform that could provide near real-time monitoring of p-cresol concentration in wastewater during Fenton oxidation treatment process.

Detection of phenol by incorporation of gold modified-enzyme based graphene oxide thin film with surface plasmon resonance technique

In this study, the incorporation between gold modified-tyrosinase (Tyr) enzyme based graphene oxide (GO) thin film with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique has been developed for the detection of phenol. SPR signal for the thin film contacted with phenol solution was monitored using SPR technique. From the SPR curve, sensitivity, full width at half maximum (FWHM), detection accuracy (DA) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) have been analyzed. The sensor produces a linear response for phenol up to 100 µM with sensitivity of 0.00193° µM^-1. Next, it can be observed that deionized water has the lowest FWHM, with a value of 1.87° and also the highest value of DA. Besides, the SNR of the SPR signal was proportional to the phenol concentrations. Furthermore, the surface morphology of the modified thin film after exposed with phenol solution observed using atomic force microscopy showed a lot of sharp peaks compared to the image before in contact with phenol proved the interaction between the thin film and phenol.

Determination of Phenol and Chlorophenols at Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes/Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode Using Flow Injection Amperometry

Phenol and chlorophenols were investigated using single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) composite modified glassy carbon electrode (SWCNT/PEDOT/GCE) as a detector in flow injection system. Optimization of experimental variables such as the detection potential, flow rate, and pH of the carrier solution (0.1 M sodium acetate) for the determination of phenol (P), 4-chlorophenol (CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were performed. Under these conditions, analytical parameters were calculated from the calibration curve of measured amperometric responses as a function of concentrations of phenol and chlorophenols. The designed electrode exhibited very good analytical performance. The designed electrode was tested with 20 repetitive injections of each analyte and showed good operational stability. The analytical performance of the SWCNT/PEDOT/GCE electrode under flow through conditions was tested and was found to be impressive. The electrode showed a wider dynamic range for the detection of phenol and chlorophenols with low limits of detection compared with other enzymatic and nonenzymatic sensors. These results suggest that the method is quite useful for the analysis and monitoring of phenols and chlorophenols.

Degradation of high concentration 2,4-dichlorophenol by simultaneous photocatalytic-enzymatic process using TiO2/UV and laccase

Removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) by TiO2/UV photocatalytic, laccase, and simultaneous photocatalytic-enzymatic treatments were investigated. Coupling of native laccase with TiO2/UV showed a negative synergetic effect due to the rapid inactivation of laccase. Immobilizing laccase covalently to controlled porous glass (CPG) effectively enhanced the stability of laccase against TiO2/UV induced inactivation. By coupling CPG-laccase with the TiO2/UV the degradation efficiency of 2,4-DCP was significantly increased as compared with the results obtained when immobilized laccase or TiO2/UV were separately used. Moreover, the enhancement was more remarkable for the degradation of 2,4-DCP with high concentration, such that for the degradation of 5mM 2,4-DCP, 90% removal percentage was achieved within 2h with the coupled degradation process. While for the TiO2/UV and CPG-laccase process, the removal percentage of 2,4-DCP at 2h were only 26.5% and 78.1%, respectively. The degradation kinetics were analyzed using a intermediate model by taking into account of the intermediates formed during the degradation of 2,4-DCP. The high efficiency of the coupled degradation process therefore provided a novel strategy for degradation of concentrated 2,4-DCP. Furthermore, a thermometric biosensor using the immobilized laccase as biorecognition element was constructed for monitoring the degradation of 2,4-DCP, the result indicated that the biosensor was precise and sensitive.

Multitechnique study on a recombinantly produced Bacillus halodurans laccase and an S-layer/laccase fusion protein

Methods for organizing functional materials at the nanometer scale are essential for the development of novel fabrication techniques. One of the most relevant areas of research in nanobiotechnology concerns technological utilization of self-assembly systems, wherein molecules spontaneously associate into reproducible supramolecular structures. For this purpose, the laccase of Bacillus halodurans C-125 was immobilized on the S-layer lattice formed by SbpA of Lysinibacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 either by (i) covalent linkage of the enzyme to the natural protein self-assembly system or (ii) by construction of a fusion protein comprising the S-layer protein and the laccase. The laccase and the S-layer fusion protein were produced heterologously in Escherichia coli. After isolation and purification, the properties of the proteins, as well as the specific activity of the enzyme moiety, were investigated. Interestingly, the S-layer part confers a much higher solubility on the laccase as observed for the sole enzyme. Comparative spectrophotometric measurements of the enzyme activity revealed similar but significantly higher values for rLac and rSbpA/Lac in solution compared to the immobilized state. However, rLac covalently linked to the SbpA monolayer yielded a four to five time higher enzymatic activity than rSbpA/Lac immobilized on a solid support. Combined quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and electrochemical measurements (performed in an electrochemical QCM-D cell) revealed that rLac immobilized on the SbpA lattice had an approximately twofold higher enzymatic activity compared to that obtained with the fusion protein.

Structure/redox potential relationship of simple organic compounds as potential precursors of dyes for laccase-mediated transformation

The aim of this study was to examine the ability of an extracellular fungal laccase (LAC) to form colored products from simple non-colored organic precursors. Thirty different phenolic and non-phenolic precursors (o-, m-, and p-methoxy-, hydroxy-, sulfonic-, and amino-substituted) were tested as single and coupled substrates in a LAC-catalyzed oxidation. The findings show that LAC catalyzes the formation of colored products (from yellow/brown to red and blue) by oxidation of single substrates that are benzene derivatives containing at least two substituents comprised of amino, hydroxy, and methoxy groups. All precursors were tested by cyclic voltammetry and the correlation between their structure and redox potential, and the possibility of their transformation into colored products by fungal LAC was found. Colored products were yielded from single substrates possessing a value of the oxidation peak (E(o)) lower than 1,150 mV vs. normal hydrogen electrode (NHE). Substrates with an oxidation peak higher than 1,150 mV vs. NHE were transformed by LAC into colored compounds only in the presence of an additional precursor characterized by a low value of E(o) and the presence of reactive substituents such as methoxy, hydroxy, and amino groups. Therefore, additional hydroxylation, methoxylation, and amination of phenolic and non-phenolic substrates may represent a strategy to increase the range of these compounds as potential dyes precursors.

Gold nanoparticles in an ionic liquid phase supported in a biopolymeric matrix applied in the development of a rosmarinic acid biosensor

Gold nanoparticles dispersed in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid (Au-BMI·PF(6)) were supported in chitin (CTN) chemically crosslinked with glyoxal and epichlorohydrin to obtain a new supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) catalyst with high catalytic activity, and providing an excellent environment for enzyme immobilization. This modified biopolymer matrix (Au-BMI·PF(6)-CTN) was used as a support for the immobilization of the enzyme peroxidase (PER) from pea (Pisum sativum), and employed to develop a new biosensor for rosmarinic acid (RA) determination in pharmaceutical samples by square-wave voltammetry. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the PER catalyzes the oxidation of RA to the corresponding o-quinone, which is electrochemically reduced at a potential of +0.14 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Under optimized conditions, the resulting peak current increased linearly for the RA concentration range of 0.50 to 23.70 μM with a detection limit of 70.09 nM. The biosensor demonstrated high sensitivity, good repeatability and reproducibility, and long-term stability (15% decrease in response over 120 days). The method was successfully applied to the determination of RA content in pharmaceutical samples, with recovery values being in the range of 98.3 to 106.2%. The efficient analytical performance of the proposed biosensor can be attributed to the effective immobilization of the PER enzyme in the modified CTN matrix, the significant contribution of the high conductivity of the ionic liquid, the facilitation of electron transfer promoted by gold nanoparticles, and the inherent catalytic ability of these materials.

Enhanced laccase production in white-rot fungus Rigidoporus lignosus by the addition of selected phenolic and aromatic compounds

The white rot fungus Rigidoporus lignosus produces substantial amounts of extracellular laccase, a multicopper blue oxidase which is capable of oxidizing a wide range of organic substrates. Laccase production can be greatly enhanced in liquid cultures supplemented with various aromatic and phenolic compounds. The maximum enzyme activity was reached at the 21st or 24th day of fungal cultivation after the addition of inducers. The zymograms of extracellular fluid of culture preparation in the presence of inducers, at maximum activity day, revealed two bands with enzymatic activity, called Lac1 and Lac2, having different intensities. Lac2 band shows the higher intensity which changed with the different inducers. Laccase induction can be also obtained by adding to the culture medium olive mill wastewaters, which shows a high content of phenolic compounds.

Laccase Biosensors Based on Mercury Thin Film Electrode

A biosensor was developed by immobilizing laccase onto mercury thin film electrode (MTFE) by means of gelatin that is then crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. Mercury thin film (MTF) was deposited onto glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and the obtained biosensor was utilized for the determination of phenolic compounds. The measurement was based on the amperometric detection of oxygen consumption in relation to analyte oxidation. The optimum experimental conditions for the biosensor were investigated and the system was calibrated for both catechol and phenol. A linear relationship between sensor responses and analyte concentrations was obtained in concentration range between 0.5 x 10(-6)-5.0 x 10(-6)M for catechol and 2.5 x 10(-6)-2.0 x 10(-6)M for phenol, respectively. Mercury thin film was also formed onto the surface of screen printed graphite electrodes and applied for the catechol detection. The linearity was observed in concentration range between 2.5 x 10(-6)-3.0 x 10(-5)M.

Gold nanoparticle-modified ultramicroelectrode arrays for biosensing: a comparative assessment

Gold ultramicroelectrode arrays (UMEAs) modified with gold nanoparticles (GNP) are shown to be a highly suitable transducer platform for the fabrication of biosensors. Comparative studies were carried out with microelectrodes and UMEAs, the latter being either bare or modified with GNPs. GNPs could be electrodeposited on to the UMEA surface, thereby increasing its active area up to one hundred times but without affecting its inherent electrodic properties. Horseradish peroxidase enzyme (HRP) was covalently immobilized over the three different transducer platforms by means of a thiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The resulting biosensors were applied to the amperometric detection of catechol, selected as a target analyte, at a set potential of -0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The use of GNP-modified UMEAs increased the sensitivity of the developed biosensor 3-fold and 80-fold compared with the values achieved with bare UMEA and microelectrode based biosensors, respectively. The GNP-modified UMEA based biosensor showed a linear response to catechol in the concentration range from 0.1 mM to 0.4 mM, with a limit of detection of 0.05 mM.

"Blue" laccases

This review concerns copper-containing oxidases--laccases. Principal biochemical and electrochemical properties of laccases isolated from different sources are described, as well as their structure and mechanism of catalysis. Possible applications of laccases in different fields of biotechnology are discussed.

An Optical Biosensor based on Immobilization of Laccase and MBTH in Stacked Films for the Detection of Catechol

The fabrication of an optical biosensor by using stacked films where 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone (MBTH) was immobilized in a hybrid nafion/sol-gel silicate film and laccase in a chitosan film for the detection of phenolic compounds was described. Quinone and/or phenoxy radical product from the enzymatic oxidation of phenolic compounds was allowed to couple with MBTH to form a colored azo-dye product for spectrophometric detection. The biosensor demonstrated a linear response to catechol concentration range of 0.5-8.0 mM with detection limit of 0.33 mM and response time of 10 min. The reproducibility of the fabricated biosensor was good with RSD value of 5.3 % (n = 8) and stable for at least 2 months. The use of the hybrid materials of nafion/sol-gel silicate to immobilize laccase has altered the selectivity of the enzyme to various phenolic compounds such as catechol, guaicol, o-cresol and m-cresol when compared to the non-immobilized enzyme. When immobilized in this hybrid film, the biosensor response only to catechol and not other phenolic compounds investigated. Immobilization in this hybrid material has enable the biosensor to be more selective to catechol compared with the non-immobilized enzyme. This shows that by a careful selection of different immobilization matrices, the selectivity of an enzyme can be modified to yield a biosensor with good selectivity towards certain targeted analytes.

A catalytically active molecularly imprinted polymer that mimics peroxidase based on hemin: application to the determination of p-aminophenol

Despite the increasing number of applications of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) in analytical chemistry, the synthesis of polymers with hemin introduced as the catalytic center to mimic the active site of peroxidase remains as a challenge. In the current work, a new type of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized with 4-aminophenol (4-APh) as the template and two monomers: hemin, which acts as the catalytic center, and methacrylic acid (MAA), which is used to build the active sites. This work shows that MIP successfully mimics peroxidase. For this purpose, a flow injection analysis system coupled to an amperometric detector was investigated through multivariate analysis. The determination of 4-APh was not affected by the equimolar presence of structurally similar phenol compounds, including catechol, 4-chloro-3-methylphenol, 2-aminophenol, guaiachol, chloroguaiachol and 2-cresol, thus highlighting the good performance of the imprinted polymer. Under the optimized experimental conditions, an analytical curve covering a wide linear response range from 0.8 up to 500 micromol L(-1) (r > 0.999) was obtained, and the method gave satisfactory precisions (n = 8), as evaluated via the relative standard deviation (RSD), of 4.1 and 3.2% for solutions of 4-APh of 50 and 500 micromol L(-1), respectively. Recoveries of 96-111% from water samples (tap water and river water) spiked with 4-APh were achieved, thus illustrating the accuracy of the proposed system.

Quantification of phenolic compounds in olive oil mill wastewater by artificial neural network/laccase biosensor

In this paper is considered a new computerized approach to the determination of concentrations of phenolic compounds (caffeic acid and catechol). An integrated artificial neural network (ANN)/laccase biosensor is designed. The data collected (current signals) from amperometric detection of the laccase biosensor were transferred into an ANN trained computer for modeling and prediction of output. Such an integrated ANN/laccase biosensor system is capable of the prediction of caffeic acid and catechol concentrations of olive oil mill wastewater, based on the created models and patterns, without any previous knowledge of this phenomenon. The predicted results using the ANN were compared with the amperometric detection of phenolic compounds obtained at a laccase biosensor in olive oil wastewater of the 2004-2005 harvest season. The difference between the real and the predicted values was <0.5%. biosensor; olive oil mill wastewater; chemical analysis; phenolic compounds.

Electrochemical estimation of the polyphenol index in wines using a laccase biosensor

The use of a laccase biosensor, under both batch and flow injection (FI) conditions, for a rapid and reliable amperometric estimation of the total content of polyphenolic compounds in wines is reported. The enzyme was immobilized by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde onto a glassy carbon electrode. Caffeic acid and gallic acid were selected as standard compounds to carry out such estimation. Experimental variables such as the enzyme loading, the applied potential, and the pH value were optimized, and different aspects regarding the operational stability of the laccase biosensor were evaluated. Using batch amperometry at -200 mV, the detection limits obtained were 2.6 x 10(-3) and 7.2 x 10(-4) mg L(-1) gallic acid and caffeic acid, respectively, which compares advantageously with previous biosensor designs. An extremely simple sample treatment consisting only of an appropriate dilution of wine sample with the supporting electrolyte solution (0.1 mol L(-1) citrate buffer of pH 5.0) was needed for the amperometric analysis of red, rosé, and white wines. Good correlations were found when the polyphenol indices obtained with the biosensor (in both the batch and FI modes) for different wine samples were plotted versus the results achieved with the classic Folin-Ciocalteu method. Application of the calibration transfer chemometric model (multiplicative fitting) allowed that the confidence intervals (for a significance level of 0.05) for the slope and intercept values of the amperometric index versus Folin-Ciocalteu index plots (r = 0.997) included the unit and zero values, respectively. This indicates that the laccase biosensor can be successfully used for the estimation of the polyphenol index in wines when compared with the Folin-Ciocalteu reference method.

Industrial and biotechnological applications of laccases: A review

Laccases have received much attention from researchers in last decades due to their ability to oxidise both phenolic and non-phenolic lignin related compounds as well as highly recalcitrant environmental pollutants, which makes them very useful for their application to several biotechnological processes. Such applications include the detoxification of industrial effluents, mostly from the paper and pulp, textile and petrochemical industries, use as a tool for medical diagnostics and as a bioremediation agent to clean up herbicides, pesticides and certain explosives in soil. Laccases are also used as cleaning agents for certain water purification systems, as catalysts for the manufacture of anti-cancer drugs and even as ingredients in cosmetics. In addition, their capacity to remove xenobiotic substances and produce polymeric products makes them a useful tool for bioremediation purposes. This paper reviews the applications of laccases within different industrial fields as well as their potential extension to the nanobiotechnology area.

Recent advances in biosensor techniques for environmental monitoring

Biosensors for environmental applications continue to show advances and improvements in areas such as sensitivity, selectivity and simplicity. In addition to detecting and measuring specific compounds or compound classes such as pesticides, hazardous industrial chemicals, toxic metals, and pathogenic bacteria, biosensors and bioanalytical assays have been designed to measure biological effects such as cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, biological oxygen demand, pathogenic bacteria, and endocrine disruption effects. This article is intended to discuss recent advances in the area of biosensors for environmental applications.

Comparative toxicity of effluents processed by different treatments in V79 fibroblasts and the algae Selenastrum capricornutum

The efficacy of ozonation and of photocatalysis processing in the treatment of pulp mill ECF (elementary chlorine free) bleaching and textile effluents was evaluated by determining total organic carbon reduction (TOC) and the toxicity. The chronic toxicity of the effluents was evaluated by the ability to inhibit the growth of algae Selenastrum capricornutum. Cultured hamster V79 fibroblasts were used to assess the cytotoxicity of effluents submitted to different detoxification processes. Two endpoints were measured in V79 cells: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-biphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction and neutral red uptake (NRU). Both treatment processes were able to reduce the TOC, although ozonization was less effective for pulp mill ECF bleaching. The pulp mill ECF bleaching and textile effluents reduced the growth of S. capricornutum by 39% and 27%, respectively. However, at the highest concentration tested, the textile effluents treated by photochemical process for 60 min showed increased cytotoxicity in V79 cells compared to the untreated effluent when assessed by the NRU and MTT reduction assays (increases of 30% and 40%, respectively). Pulp mill ECF bleaching effluent treated by ozonization had a similar cytotoxicity to that of untreated effluent in the NRU assay. In contrast, the MTT reduction assay indicated that effluents treated with ozone were around 20% more cytotoxic than untreated effluents. These results show that cultured fibroblasts may be useful for studying cellular responses to pollutants and may be included in tests to monitor the efficiency of effluent detoxification processes.

A high sensitivity amperometric biosensor using laccase as biorecognition element

An amperometric flow biosensor, using laccase from Rigidoporus lignosus as bioelement was developed. The laccase was kinetically characterized towards various phenolics both in solution and immobilized to a hydrophilic matrix by carbodiimide chemistry. A bioreactor connected to an amperometric flow cell by a FIA system was filled with the immobilized enzyme and the operational conditions of this biosensor were optimized as regards pH. Under the adopted experimental conditions, the immobilized enzyme oxidizes all the substrate molecules avoiding the need of cumbersome calibration procedures. The biosensor sensitivity, which was found to be 100 nA/microM for some of the tested substrates, resulted to be constant for more than 100 working days. This biosensor permits the detection of phenolics in aqueous solutions at concentrations in the nanomolar range and was successfully used to detect phenolics in wastewaters from olive oil mill without sample preparation.