Immobilization of laccase on magnetically separable biochar for highly efficient removal of bisphenol A in water

Laccase was stably immobilized on a cost effective and nanosized magnetic biochar (L-MBC) by adsorption, precipitation and crosslinking, and it was used for high performance BPA removal. A large amount of enzyme could be immobilized on the magnetic biochar with high activity (2.251 U per mg MBC), and the L-MBC could be magnetically separated from the aqueous solution in 20 seconds. The successful immobilization of laccase was also confirmed via FTIR, SEM, and EDS analyses. The L-MBC presented better storage and stability performances, pH tolerance and thermal stability than the free laccase. It was found that BPA with an initial concentration of 25 mg L-1 could be thoroughly removed within 75 min, where BPA removal was attributed to enzymatic degradation and adsorption. In addition, the BPA removal efficiency by the L-MBC could be maintained above 85% even after seven cycles of repeated use. Due to high stability and efficient recyclability, the L-MBC-based biocatalyst has the potential to be a reliable method for treating BPA in environmental water sources.