Elimination of 4-chlorophenol from Water Solutions Using Commercial Peroxidases

A. Bódalo, J. L. Gómez, E. Gómez, J. Bastida and M. F. Máximo

Abstract
A comparative study of the two most widely used commercial peroxidases (E.C. 1.11.1.7) for removing 4-chlorophenol from aqueous industrial effluents is presented. Both the peroxidases tested, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and soybean peroxidase (SBP), showed maximal removal efficiency in a neutral pH medium although they maintained more than 70 % of their activity in a pH range of between 6.0 and 8.0. The influence of temperature on the elimination levels was negligible between T = 25 and 40 °C for both enzymes. To minimize the treatment period and enzyme dose, the effect of adding different amounts of a protective agent (polyethylene glycol, PEG) was explored. The final choice of the peroxidase source will depend on the convenience of using such protective agents, SBP being the most suitable when the addition of PEG is not possible or desirable.

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Keywords
Horseradish peroxidase, soybean peroxidase, 4-chlorophenol, polyethylene glycol, removal efficiency