Removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol by laccase immobilized on nano-copper incorporated electrospun fibrous membrane-high efficiency, stability and reusability

•The PAN/PVdF membrane was immobilized by laccase and nano-copper.•The relative activity of the immobilized laccase is enhanced.•The removal efficiency for 2,4,6-TCP of immobilized laccase reaches high value.•The laccase immobilized on PAN/PVdF/Cu NFMs exhibits high reusability.

In this study, nano-coppers were incorporated into an enzyme carrier, polyacrylonitrile/polyvinylidene fluoride (PAN/PVdF) electrospun fibrous membranes (EFMs). Laccase immobilized on PAN/PVdF/Cu EFMs prepared was used for the removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol from water. The physical and electrochemical properties of PAN/PVdF/Cu EFMs, as well as the efficiency of laccase immobilization and 2,4,6-TCP removal were investigated in detail. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images show that the diameters of PAN/PVdF/Cu EFMs ranged from 200 nm to 500 nm. The immobilized laccase had a broader application pH and temperature range compared with free laccase. Laccase immobilized on PAN/PVdF/Cu EFMs showed significantly better performance on 2,4,6-TCP removal (95.4%) than that without nano-coppers (82.2%) (p < 0.05). It was because the incorporation of nano-coppers into the fibers facilitated the electron transfer during the process of catalytic reaction with laccase. In addition, it was demonstrated the lac-PAN/PVdF/Cu EFMs prepared in this work possessed high reusability. Therefore, the lac-PAN/PVdF/Cu EFMs have promising potential in industrial application for the removal of pollutants from water.

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