Enzymes immobilized in wood-derived cellulose scaffold for constructing a novel modular bioreactor

Modular bioreactors can provide a flexible platform for constructing complex multi-step pathways,which may be a solution for maximizing reactions and overcoming the complexity of multi-enzyme systems.Here,we selected wood-derived cellulose scaffold as a support for enzyme immobilization and constructed the modular bioreactor.Cellulose scaffold was prepared after removing lignin from wood,followed by citric acid functionalization and the addition of glutaraldehyde finally allowed the cross-linking of enzymes.Three enzymes,horseradish peroxidase(HRP),glucose oxidase(GOD),and catalase(CAT),were separately immobilized,resulting in the immobilized enzyme amount to over 40 mg/g.The introduction of carboxyl groups from citric acid facilitated the rapid enzyme adsorption on the support surface and immobilized enzymes possess~65%expressed activity.Modular bioreactors were constructed by using the immobilized enzymes.With the immobilized HRP module,reactor showed desired catalytic performance with the phenol degradation rate of>90%.Also,a pH regulation can occur in the bioreactors for preserving enzyme activities and neutralizing acid products.In the GOD/CAT modular bioreactor,the cascade reaction with adjusting pH values can achieve a 95%yield of sodium gluconate and exhibit a favorable reusability of 5 operation cycles.