Activated carbons preparation from yellow mombin fruit stones for lipase immobilization

Abstract

Activated carbons were prepared from yellow mombin fruit stones as carbon precursor and subsequently used as support for lipase immobilization. Carbons were prepared by chemical activation method using phosphoric acid or potassium hydroxide as activating agents. The influence of the activating agent and the carbonization temperature on the physical and chemical properties of carbons was investigated. Although carbon specific surface area increased with increasing activation temperature, there was a reduction in the number of surface functional groups. The activation with phosphoric acid resulted in higher yields and favored a higher surface area and pore volume of carbon. The optimum conditions for lipase immobilization onto activated carbons were carried out varying contact time, pH, initial enzyme concentration, and temperature. The immobilized enzymes showed good activity in both carbons, and can be considered a promising alternative as support for lipase immobilization.