Laccase-Functionalized Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Coated Sponges for the Removal and Degradation of Anthracene

Abstract

Superhydrophobic porous materials, for instance, sponges, membranes, and meshes, have attracted great attention due to their ability for adsorption of organic solvents, hydrocarbons, and oils while repelling water. In this work, we report an organic-solvent-free, environmentally benign, and cost-effective preparation method of a bifunctional adsorbent using a melamine sponge coated with few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (hBNNs) functionalized with laccase (LA). The hBNNs are used as a building block for immobilizing and stabilizing LA for the removal and degradation of anthracene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in crude oil, and to convert them to lighter and less-toxic substances. The physiochemical properties and performance of the sponges for the removal and degradation of anthracene were investigated thoroughly. The highest hydrocarbon degradation of 89% was obtained at an LA concentration of 2.72 mg/mL and pH 7, after 72 h. The degradation increased to 91% after 7 days of functionalized sponge exposure to the medium. Moreover, the functionalized sponges’ reusability studies revealed that the anthracene degradation efficiency was still as high as 54% after the hBNN–polyethylene oxide–LA sponges were repeatedly used 5 times. The strategy proposed for the fabrication of these sponges is facile and easy to scale up, not requiring the use of a complicated process or expensive equipment. These nano-engineered sponges are promising candidates for the separation and degradation of oils and hydrocarbons in oil spill remediation applications.

Enhanced Atrazine Degradation Using Laccase Immobilized on Arginine-Functionalized Boron Nitride Nanosheets

“…35,36 Given the XPS surface detection limit and larger molecule size, laccase should represent the primary composition detected if it covered the surface. 34 The peak emergence concurs with the anticipated bond chemistry inherent to the enzyme's structure. https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-lqj0v ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4821-795X Content not peer-reviewed by ChemRxiv.…”

“…16 The liquid nlaccase sample revealed C-O-C stretching (1099 cm -1 ), CONH peptide linkage (1630 cm -1 ), and an abundant O-H stretching peak that was contributed by H2O. 34 Both BNNS-Arg and BNNS-Arg@Lac exhibited peaks corresponding to C-N bonds, O-H bending vibration of carboxyl groups, and C-O bonds, which overlapped with B-N stretching peaks (1370 cm -1 ). Owing to the addition of laccase, more C-N, O-H bending, and C-O peaks presented in BNNS-Arg@Lac, leading to a greater reduction of B-N stretching peaks.…”

A Review of Current Achievements and Recent Challenges in Bacterial Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Production and Potential Applications

“…Water pollution is a global issue that has caused serious concerns for humankind and exacerbated health hazards. − Therefore, research and investigation to find inexpensive and simple water decontamination methods are important matters. , One way to reach pure drinking water is filtration, which removes particles and microorganisms based on sized exclusion . Recently, biobased filters made up of materials like PHA for water purification have been of great interest, as such methods are simple and especially ecofriendly .…”

Nano-engineered 2D hBN-Based Materials for Environmental and Healthcare Applications

“…The exfoliated 2D-hBN nanosheets utilised herein was fabricated in-house through our previously reported method [248]. Using a probe sonicator (Sonics Vibra Cell VCX 750, Fisher Scientific, 750 W, 20 kHz) for 4 hrs., the commercially available pristine hBN bulk (70 mg) (Sigma-Aldrich Co. Ltd., powder 1 μm) was sonicated in 10 mL of deionized (DI) water at a concentration of 7 mg/mL in a glass beaker (20 mL).…”