A photo-enzyme coupling catalysis system with high enzyme loading for the efficient degradation of BPA in water

Abstract

The structural limitation of the photocatalyst itself is the main reason for the difficulty in increasing the enzyme loading amount in the photo-enzyme coupling system. Hereon, a g-C3N4-based photocatalyst ACN45 with high enzyme loading amount was synthesized. Abundant 5 nm channels match well with the size of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) molecules, which enables the loading amount to reach 6.3 times that of pure g-C3N4. Meanwhile, the microenvironment provided by channels of ACN45 significantly improves the activity and stability of the immobilized enzyme, and reduces the leaching of the enzyme molecules inside it. The internal immobilization of HRP did not affect the absorption of visible light by the photocatalyst, and high loading amount of photo-enzyme coupling system enhance the photocatalytic degradation of BPA. The degradation rate reached 94 % within 1 h, which is 5.9 times that of pure g-C3N4. The research findings open avenues for designing a photo-enzyme coupling system with high enzyme loading and high stability through simple steps.