(416b) Enzyme Immobilization On Nanoparticles for Reuse in Cellulosic Ethanol Conversion

Ethanol produced from cellulosic biomass is an exciting renewable energy source. Current cellulosic biomass hydrolysis is based on one-time use of the expensive enzyme ingredient. Cellulases immobilized on magnetic nanocarriers offer advantages of extended enzyme half-life, lowered enzyme cost, and fast magnetic separation for continuous hydrolysis. We report immobilization of cellulase enzymes on nanoparticles for enzyme recycling in the cellulosic ethanol production. Superparamagnetic nanoparticles with control of particle size and hydrophilic surface chemistry were synthesized. The nanoparticles demonstrate strong magnetization per particle that allows fast separation using a medium magnetic field. Enzyme activity of the immobilized cellulase was measured using the dinitrosalicylic acid method. The effect of nanoparticle size, polymer ligand length, and ligand density on cellulase activity and recoverability will be discussed.