Fabrication of Boehmite/Alginate Hybrid Beads for Efficient Enzyme Immobilization

Abstract

A novel kind of matrix for enzyme immobilization, the boehmite/alginate hybrid beads, was fabricated under mild conditions in this study. The boehmite particles were first prepared via a mild sol–gel technology and were then entrapped into the inherent network of calcium alginate. The characterization results suggest that the hybridization between alginate and boehmite belongs to a physical blending, in which the electrostatic interaction acts an important role. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH), which is of high importance for the transformation of CO2, was encapsulated in the boehmite/alginate hybrid beads. The enzyme was loaded as high as 99.4% and uniformly distributed in these hybrid beads according to the fluorescence experiment. It is worthy of noting that the encapsulated YADH can almost reach “zero leaching” after incubation for 67 h and preserve 86.6% activity after 12-recycle using. This kind of hybrid materials may become a promising matrix for the immobilization of industrial enzymes.