Comparison of commercial peroxidases for removing phenol from water solutions

This paper describes a comparison between horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and soybean peroxidase (SBP), the two most widely used commercial peroxidases for the removal of phenol from wastewater. Both enzymes achieve maximal removal efficiency in a neutral pH medium although they are still quite active in a pH range of between 6.0 and 8.0. The fact that both enzymes show similar phenol elimination levels at any temperature between 25 and 40 degrees C is also of interest. Studies were carried out in the absence and presence of different concentrations of a stabilisation additive, polyethylene glycol (PEG), in an attempt to optimise the phenol elimination procedure. The final choice of peroxidase will depend on the characteristics of the effluent, operational requirements and on economic considerations. Our findings show that HRP acts faster than SBP but is more susceptible to inactivation, although it is better protected by PEG. In consequence HRP will be the most suitable choice but the addition of a sufficient amount of PEG is critical.