Enzyme-loaded nanostructured materials for the degradation of environmental pollutants

Abstract

Nanomaterials are widely used for enzyme immobilization purposes to impart desired functionality, including superior catalytic features, high stability, high specificity, and recyclability to reduce the cost of the bioprocess. The immobilization technology can stabilize the enzymes structures against chemical and/or environmental damage. The enzyme-loaded nanocarriers could be recovered and processed in another cycle that indicates bioprocess's cost-effectiveness. Combining nanostructured materials with biotechnological processes has provided an efficient platform to design state-of-the-art nanostructures for enzyme loading inducing desired characteristics. This review aimed to summarize different nanomaterials (including silica-based, metal-based, polymer-based, and carbon-based) for their enzyme immobilization potentialities. Furthermore, the applications of these enzyme-loaded nanomaterials in environmental remediation, i.e., the removal of pharmaceutical compounds and textile dyes, have been described in detail.