Laccase: A potential biocatalyst for pollutant degradation*

In the continual march to a predominantly urbanized civilization, anthropogenic activities have increased scrupulously, industrialization have occurred, economic growth has increased, and natural resources are being exploited, causing huge waste management problems, disposal issues, and the evolution of several pollutants. In order to have a sustainable environment, these pollutants need to be removed and degraded. Bioremediation employing microorganisms or enzymes can be used to treat the pollutants by degrading and/or transforming the pollutants into different form which is less or non-toxic to the environment. Laccase is a diverse enzyme/biocatalyst belonging to the oxidoreductase group of enzymes produced by microorganisms. Due to its low substrate specificity and monoelectronic oxidation of substrates in a wide range of complexes, it is most commonly used to degrade chemical pollutants. For degradation of emerging pollutants, laccase can be efficiently employed; however, large-scale application needs reusability, thermostability, and operational stability which necessitated strategies like immobilization and engineering of robust laccase possessing desirable properties. Immobilization of laccase for bioremediation, and treatment of wastewater for degrading emerging pollutants have been focussed for sustainable development. Challenges of employing biocatalysts for these applications as well as engineering robust laccase have been highlighted in this study.

Automated summary

In the process of urbanization, anthropogenic activities, industrialization, and economic growth have led to waste management problems, disposal issues, and the emergence of pollutants. To maintain a sustainable environment, bioremediation using microorganisms or enzymes is a promising solution. Laccase, an oxidoreductase enzyme produced by microorganisms, has shown great potential in degrading chemical pollutants. However, challenges such as immobilization and engineering of robust laccase need to be addressed for large-scale application in waste treatment and emerging pollutant degradation.