FE 462 BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Immobilized Enzyme

INTRODUCTION

Since most enzymes are globular protein, they are soluble in water. Therefore, it is very difficult or imlpractical to separate the enzyme for reuse in a batch process. Enzymes can be immobilized on the surface of or inside of an insoluble matrix either by chemical or physical methods.

They can be also immobilized in their soluble forms by retaining them with a semipermeable membrane. A main advantage of immobilized enzyme is that it can be reused since it can be easily separated from the reaction solution and can be easily retained in a continuous-flow reactor. Furthermore, immobilized enzyme may show selectively altered chemical or physical properties and it may simulate the realistic natural environment where the enzyme came from, the cell.

IMMOBILIZATION TECHNIQUES

Chemical Method
Physical Method

EFFECT OF MASS-TRANSFER RESISTANCE

The immobilization of enzymes may introduce a new problem which is absent in free soluble enzymes. It is the mass-transfer resistance due to the large particle size of immobilized enzyme or due to the inclusion of enzymes in polymeric matrix. If we follow the hypothetical path of a substrate from the liquid to the reaction site in an immobilized enzyme, it can be divided into several steps

CELL IMMOBILIZATION

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