Novel electrochemical approach for the monitoring of biodegradation of phenolic pollutants and determination of enzyme activity

We report on a novel electrochemical approach for the monitoring of the biodegradation of phenolic pollutants using tyrosinase and the rapid evaluation of enzyme activity. Nanoporous gold supported on a Ti substrate was fabricated using a facile hydrothermal method and was employed as the working electrode. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the morphology of the prepared nanoporous gold. Our studies reveal that differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) is an effective electrochemical approach for monitoring the biodegradation of 4-chlorophenol. The efficacy of this new approach was further verified by studying tyrosinase selectivity in the biodegradation of different chlorophenols and other phenolic compounds, as well as the effects of pH and temperature on tyrosinase activity. The new electrochemical approach described in this study opens the door for high throughput screening of specific enzymes and/or receptors in environmental and medical applications.

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► Electrochemical approach for monitoring biodegradation of phenolic pollutants
► High selectivity of tyrosinase for 4-chlorophenol biodegradation
► Rapid determination of enzymatic activity
► High throughput screening of specific enzymes and/or receptors in environmental and medical applications