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Oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by horseradish peroxidase in water containing an organic cosolvent

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Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental contaminants that are toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. We investigated the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed oxidation of PAHs in water containing N,N-dimethylformamide. Four PAHs (anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and fluoranthene) were investigated using single-PAH and mixed-PAH systems. The results provide useful information regarding the preferential oxidation of anthracene over other PAHs regardless of the reaction time, enzyme dosage, and hydrogen peroxide concentration. The removal of PAHs was found to be very strongly correlated with the ionization potential (IP), and much greater PAH oxidation was observed at a lower IP. The oxidation of anthracene was specifically pH- and temperature-dependent, with the optimal pH and temperature being 8.0 and 40 °C, respectively. The redox mediators 1-hydroxybenzotriazole and veratryl alcohol promoted the transformation of anthracene by HRP; 9,10-anthraquinone was the main product detected from the anthracene oxidation system. The results of this study not only provide a better understanding of the oxidation of PAHs by utilizing a plant biocatalyst, but also provide a theoretical basis for establishing the HRP-catalyzed treatment of PAH-contaminated wastewater.

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Abbreviations

HOBT:

1-hydroxybenzotriazole

ABTS:

2, 2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)

GC-MS:

gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

HPLC:

high-performance liquid chromatography

HRP:

horseradish peroxidase

H2O2 :

hydrogen peroxide

LiP:

lignin peroxidase

MnP:

manganese peroxidase

DMF:

N,N-dimethylformamide

PAHs:

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

SPE:

solid phase extraction

IP:

ionization potential

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41171193, 51278252, 41171380), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu province, China (BK20130030), the Key Technology R&D Program of Jiangsu Province (BE2011780), the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, China (PCRRF11034), and a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang Road 1, Nanjing, 210095, People’s Republic of China

    Zeyou Chen, Anping Peng & Yanzheng Gao

  2. Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Zeyou Chen & Hui Li

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  1. Zeyou Chen
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  2. Hui Li
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Correspondence to Yanzheng Gao.

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Chen, Z., Li, H., Peng, A. et al. Oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by horseradish peroxidase in water containing an organic cosolvent. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 10696–10705 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3005-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3005-6

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