In this article, the biocatalytic oxidation of ethanol into acetaldehyde was studied using a catalase entrapped within a monolithic polyampholyte cryogel, p(APTAC-co-AMPS), as catalyst. When an anionic monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS), was mixed with a cationic monomer, (3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC), under cryo-polymerization conditions at a molar ratio of monomers [APTAC]:[AMPS] = 75:25 mol.% in the presence of 10 mol.% cross-linking agent, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA), the macroporous polyampholyte cryogels containing various amounts of catalase were synthesized in situ. The conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde in good-to-high yields was observed in flow-through and batch-type reactors under optimal conditions: at T = 10–20 °C, pH = 6.9–7.1, [C₂H₅OH]:[H₂O₂] = 50:50 vol.%. According to the SEM images, the pore sizes of the p(AMPS-co-APTAC) cryogel vary from 15 to 55 μm. The catalytic activity of catalase entrapped within a monolithic polyampholyte cryogel in the conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde was evaluated through the determination of kinetic parameters such as the Michaelis constant (K_m), maximum enzymatic rate (V_max), activation energy (E_a), turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF). The catalase encapsulated within the monolithic polyampholyte cryogel exhibits a high conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde. The key parameters of ethanol oxidation in flow and batch reactors in the presence of the cryogel monolith were calculated.

In this article, the biocatalytic oxidation of ethanol into acetaldehyde was studied using a catalase entrapped within monolithic polyampholyte cryogel, p(APTAC-co-AMPS), derived from an anionic monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS), and a cationic monomer, (3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC) as catalyst. Macroporous polyampholyte cryogels containing various amounts of catalase were synthesized in situ under cryo-polymerization conditions at a molar ratio of monomers [APTAC]:[AMPS] = 75:25 mol.% in the presence of 10 mol.% cross-linking agent, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA). The conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde in good-to-high yields was observed in flow-through and batch type reactors under optimal conditions: at T = 10-20 C, pH = 7.1, [C2H5OH]:[H2O2] = 50:50 vol.%. According to SEM image the pore sizes of p(AMPS-co-APTAC) cryogel vary from 15 to 55 μm. The catalytic activity of catalase entrapped within monolithic polyampholyte cryogel in the conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde was evaluated through the determination of such kinetic parameters as Michaelis constant (Km), the maximum enzymatic rate (Vmax), activation energy (Ea), turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF). The catalase encapsulated within monolithic polyampholyte cryogel exhibits a high conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde. The advantages and disadvantages of flow-through and batch type reactors were highlighted.