Co-immobilization of lignocellulolytic enzymes on heterofunctional solid supports

• Grant number: 23/01338-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Moraes Polizeli
• Grantee: Diandra de Andrades
• Supervisor: Roberto Fernandez-Lafuente
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica (ICP), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/15510-8 - Immobilization and co-immobilization of lignocellulolytic enzymes in magnetic nanoparticles: a strategy for hydrolysis of biomass and industry waste, BP.PD

Abstract

Enzyme immobilization has been widely used as a strategy to reduce the costs of enzymatic processes. This strategy facilitates catalyst recovery, increases stability under adverse conditions and facilitates the reuse of enzymes. The development of protocols for immobilization and stabilization of industrial enzymes is a very interesting goal in enzyme biotechnology, since immobilized and highly stabilized enzyme preparations can be very useful for a massive implementation of sustainable chemical processes catalyzed by enzymes, such as the hydrolysis of biomass to obtain compounds with high added value. Therefore, the objective of this study is to direct the immobilization of different biomass degrading enzymes that act synergistically, using co-immobilization technology in heterofunctional supports with different reactive groups. The enzymes will be close to one another, reducing the mass transfer limitation and their time of action. For this, different supports will be tested with more than one functional group, in order to obtain the direction of the immobilization of each enzyme on the surface of the support. In the search for the most stable and efficient biocatalyst, different combinations of proportions of co-immobilized enzymes will also be tested. The best derivatives for reuse, thermal and operational stability in the production of compounds of interest will be compared. Finally, we hope to develop an innovative multicatalyst that combines the advantages of using co-immobilization with targeted heterofunctional immobilization, favoring the synergy of these enzymes in the hydrolysis of residues. In this way, we will meet the purposes of two LMBC projects, the Bioethanol INCT, process CNPq nº 465319/2014-9/FAPESP nº 2014/50884-5, and the postdoctoral project of the proponent, Process FAPESP: 2020/15510-8. (AU)