Hydrolysis of Alkyl Ester on Lipase/Silicalite-1 Catalyst.

Pure silica zeolites have been prepared in powder and pellets form with different surface chemical properties in order to investigate how the binding forces in the lipase enzyme adsorption influence the final conformation of the immobilized enzyme and its catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of the adsorbed lipase have been tested in the alkyl esters hydrolysis reaction. The higher alkyl-esters conversion is observed for the lipase immobilized on the supports prepared in OH- media compared to the fluoride media supports. The obtained results can be explained by the two different non-covalent interactions between the external surface of zeolites and the enzyme