Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase with zwitterionic polymer material for industrial phenolic removal.

This article focuses on improving the industrial applicability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by immobilizing the enzyme within zwitterionic polymer hydrogels, specifically polycarboxybetaine (PCB) and polysulfobetaine (PSB). Immobilization in these hydrogels significantly enhances HRP's catalytic efficiency (with PCB-HRP showing a 6.11-fold increase in Kcat/Km compared to free enzyme), thermal and pH stability, tolerance to organic solvents, storage longevity, and recyclability. Among the materials tested, PCB hydrogels demonstrated the best overall performance, including the ability to degrade 90% of phenol in wastewater within 12 minutes, indicating strong potential for environmental remediation applications. The study suggests that embedding HRP in zwitterionic hydrogels offers a promising strategy for efficient and sustainable industrial wastewater treatment, particularly for the removal of toxic phenolic compounds.