Estrone removal by horseradish peroxidase immobilized on a nanofibrous support with FeO nanoparticles

• Published in: RSC advances 2016-01, Vol.6 (5), p.3927-3933
• Main Authors: Xu, Ran, Yuan, Jianmei, Si, Yifang, Li, Fengting, Zhang, Bingru
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c5ra22805k

The occurrence, fate, and removal of estrone (E 1 ) from environmental systems have attracted considerable research interests in recent years because of the potential risks of human and wildlife exposure to E 1 . This study aims to develop an efficient enzymatic method to remove E 1 from water. Electrospinning composite fibers (200-300 nm in diameter), comprising poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), SiO 2 , and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs), were used as supports for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilization. The immobilized HRP was used for E 1 removal. The effects of Fe 3 O 4 NPs on the degradation and adsorption of E 1 by the prepared materials were investigated. The results showed that the immobilized HRP was less sensitive to the changes in pH and temperature compared with free HRP. The immobilized HRP also exhibited relatively high stability and reusability. HRP-PAA/PVA/SiO 2 nanofibrous membranes with Fe 3 O 4 NPs (HRP-Fe 3 O 4 NPs/NFM) showed a significantly higher relative activity for E 1 removal (84.5%) than the nanofibrous membranes without Fe 3 O 4 NPs (79.4% P < 0.05). This improvement can be attributed to the addition of Fe 3 O 4 NPs which increased the adsorption ability of the membranes and improved the catalytic activity of the immobilized HRP. The HRP-Fe 3 O 4 NPs/NFM is suitable for use in wastewater treatment owing to its high reusability. The occurrence, fate, and removal of estrone (E 1 ) from environmental systems have attracted considerable research interests in recent years because of the potential risks of human and wildlife exposure to E 1 .