Laccase-Mediated Biocatalysis in Environmental Applications
Summary
Laccases are copper-containing oxidases capable of catalysing the one-electron oxidation of a wide spectrum of organic pollutants, using molecular oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor and producing water as the sole by-product. Their broad substrate specificity extends from phenolic compounds and aromatic amines to complex xenobiotics, making them versatile tools for environmental remediation. Sourced from fungi, bacteria and plants, laccases exhibit varying redox potentials and stabilities; fungal variants often lead in pollutant decolourisation and transformation due to higher redox potentials. Recent efforts focus on overcoming limitations such as enzyme cost, stability under harsh conditions, mediator dependency and recovery of the biocatalyst. Strategies include immobilisation on solid supports, engineering of self-amplifying catalytic systems, and development of mediator-regenerating cycles. These advances have enabled scalable applications in wastewater treatment, soil bioremediation, dye decolourisation and antibiotic degradation, demonstrating global relevance for restoring ecosystem health and safeguarding water resources.
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Laccase-Mediated Biocatalysis in Environmental Applications publication trend
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Technical terms
Multicopper oxidases (MCOs): enzymes that contain multiple copper centres and catalyse the four-electron reduction of O₂ to H₂O while oxidising organic substrates.
Redox mediator: a small molecule that shuttles electrons between the enzyme’s active site and a target pollutant, extending the range of substrates that laccase can oxidise.
Biocatalysis: the utilisation of enzymes to accelerate chemical transformations under mild, environmentally benign conditions.
Immobilisation: the attachment of enzymes to solid supports to improve their stability, enable easy separation from treated media, and permit repeated or continuous use.
Xenobiotics: synthetic or naturally occurring compounds foreign to biological systems, often resistant to conventional degradation pathways.
References
- Laccase‐Based Self‐Amplifying Catalytic System Enables Efficient Antibiotic Degradation for Sustainable Environmental Remediation. Advanced Science (2023).
- Laccase: a multi‐purpose biocatalyst at the forefront of biotechnology. Microbial Biotechnology (2016).
- Laccases: structure, function, and potential application in water bioremediation. Microbial Cell Factories (2019).
- A Brief History of Colour, the Environmental Impact of Synthetic Dyes and Removal by Using Laccases. Molecules (2021).
- Bacterial versus fungal laccase: potential for micropollutant degradation. AMB Express (2013).
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