A combined chemical-enzymatic method to remove selected aromatics from aqueous streams

Abstract

Aromatics are major pollutants found in aqueous environments and in sediments. Although there are many chemical and biochemical processes to remove and/or treat these contaminants, they have to be considered in light of the economcs and the time scales for treatment. We describe our initial work on a hybrid chemical-enzymatic technique to remove aromatics from aqueous streams. The aromatic is first converted to the corresponding phenol through classical Fentontype chemistry involving catalysis by Fe(II). The phenol is subsequently polymerized through an enzymatic mechanism, using horseradish peroxidase as the oxidative enzyme. The polymer is insoluble in water and can be easily recovered. In addition, such phenolic polymers are useful products with varied applications in coatings and resins technologies. Thus, the pollutants can be eventually converted to useful products.