Bioremediation of pesticide contaminated water using an organophosphate degrading enzyme immobilized on nonwoven polyester textiles

Bioremediation using enzymes has become an attractive approach for removing hazardous chemicals such as organophosphate pesticides from the environment. Enzymes immobilized on solid carriers are particularly suited for such applications. In this study, the organophosphate degrading enzyme A (OpdA) was covalently immobilized on highly porous nonwoven polyester fabrics for organophosphate pesticide degradation. The fabrics were first activated with ethylenediamine to introduce free amine groups, and the enzyme was then attached using the bifunctional crosslinker glutaraldehyde. The immobilization only slightly increased the Km (for methyl parathion, MP), broadened the pH profile such that the enzyme had significant activity at acidic pH, and enhanced the stability of the enzyme. The OpdA-functionalized fabrics could be stored in a phosphate buffer or in the dry state at 4 °C for at least 4 weeks without a large loss of activity. When used in batch mode, the functionalized textiles could degrade 20 μM MP in un-buffered water at liquor to fabric ratios as high as 5000:1 within 2 h, and could be used repeatedly. The fabrics could also be made into columns for continuous pesticide degradation. The columns were able to degrade 50 μM MP at high flow rates, and could be used repeatedly over 2 months. These results demonstrate that OpdA immobilized on nonwoven polyester fabrics is useful in environmental remediation of organophosphate compounds.