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Multi-spectral and thermodynamic analysis of the interaction mechanism between Cu2+ and α-amylase and impact on sludge hydrolysis

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Abstract

An increasing amount of heavy metals (e.g., Cu2+) is being discharged into sewage treatment plants and is accumulating in sludge, which is toxic to the enzyme in sludge or soil when the sludge is used as fertilizer, resulting in unfavorable effect on the biological treatment of sludge and the circulation and conversion of materials in soil. In this research, effect of Cu2+ on sludge hydrolysis by α-amylase is studied from the respect of concentration and components of soluble organic matter in sludge, using three-dimensional fluorescence spectra. Results show that Cu2+ exposure not only inhibits the hydrolysis of sludge due to the denaturation of α-amylase but also affects the components of soluble organic matter in sludge. In order to illuminate the interaction mechanism between Cu2+ and α-amylase (a model of hydrolase in sludge), multi-spectra and isothermal titration microcalorimetry techniques are applied. Results show that the secondary structure of α-amylase is changed as that the α-helical content increases and the structure loosens. The microenvironment of amino acid residue in α-amylase is changed that the hydrophobicity decreases and the polarity increases with Cu2+ exposure. Isothermal titration calorimetry results show that Van der Waals force and hydrogen bond exist in the interaction between Cu2+ and α-amylase. Results from this research would favor the development of advanced process for the biological treatment of sludge containing heavy metals.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (21507071), the Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University (2014BT013 and 2015JC030), Laboratory Software Construction Project of Shandong University (sy2016206) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (2014 M560555 and 2015 T80720).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250100, China

      Ruiqi Zhou, Hong Liu, Guangying Hou & Chunguang Liu

    2. School of Computer Science and Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250101, China

      Lei Ju

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    1. Ruiqi Zhou
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    2. Hong Liu
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    3. Guangying Hou
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    4. Lei Ju
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    Correspondence to Chunguang Liu.

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    Responsible editor: Angeles Blanco

    Ruiqi Zhou and Hong Liu contributed equally to this work.

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    Zhou, R., Liu, H., Hou, G. et al. Multi-spectral and thermodynamic analysis of the interaction mechanism between Cu2+ and α-amylase and impact on sludge hydrolysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 9428–9436 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8570-z

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8570-z

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