Polymerization of Phenol using Free and Immobilized Horseradish Peroxidase

Phenol is a toxic compound and need to be treated before discharged. Phenol polymerization has been studied using free and immobilized Horse Radish Peroxidase (HRP). During the study period the ambient room temperature was between 27-32oC. Phenol concentration of 100-500 mg/L was fed to both free and immobilized HRP. Free enzyme studies were carried out in Erlenmayer flasks. Immobilized HRP Enzyme Bed Reactor was fabricated and used for polymerization of phenol. Free HRP polymerized 84% of phenol when fed with 100 mg/L where as Immobilized HRP polymerized 62% with the same phenol concentration. Free enzyme showed a better polymerization effect than immobilized enzyme. This might be attributed to the availability of more active sites in free enzyme when compared to immobilized enzymes. Reduction in phenol polymerization could be noticed with the increase in phenol concentration. Keywords: Phenol, phenol polymerizing enzymes, horse radish peroxidase, enzyme immobilization, bioremediation