As a consequence of intense industrialization in the last few decades, the amount of agro-industrial wastes has increasing, where new forms of valorization are crucial. In this work, five residual biomasses from Maranhão (Brazil) were investigated as supports for immobilization of lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL). The new biocatalysts BM-TLL (babaçu mesocarp) and RH-TLL (rice husk) showed immobilization efficiencies >98% and hydrolytic activities of 5.331 U g⁻¹ and 4.608 U g⁻¹, respectively, against 142 U g⁻¹ by Lipozyme^® TL IM. High esterification activities were also found, with 141.4 U g⁻¹ and 396.4 U g⁻¹ from BM-TLL and RH-TLL, respectively, against 113.5 U g⁻¹ by TL IM. Results of porosimetry, SEM, and BET demonstrated BM and RH supports are mesoporous materials with large hydrophobic area, allowing a mixture of hydrophobic adsorption and confinement, resulting in hyperactivation of TLL. These biocatalysts were applied in the production of hexyl laurate, where RH-TLL was able to generate 94% conversion in 4 h. Desorption with Triton X-100 and NaCl confirmed that new biocatalysts were more efficient with 5 times less protein than commercial TL IM. All results demonstrated that residual biomass was able to produce robust and stable biocatalysts containing immobilized TLL with better results than commercial preparations.

The high demand for food and energy imposed by the increased life expectancy of the population has driven agricultural activity, which is reflected in the larger quantities of agro-industrial waste generated, and requires new forms of use. Brazil has the greatest biodiversity in the world, where corn is one of the main agricultural genres, and where over 40% of the waste generated is from cobs without an efficient destination. With the aim of the valorization of these residues, we proposed to study the immobilization of laccase from Aspergillus spp. (L_Asp) in residual corn cob and its application in the degradation of Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) dye. The highest yields in immobilized protein (75%) and residual activity (40%) were obtained at pH 7.0 and an enzyme concentration of 0.1 g.mL⁻¹, whose expressed enzyme activity was 1854 U.kg⁻¹. At a temperature of 60 °C, more than 90% of the initial activity present in the immobilized biocatalyst was maintained. The immobilized enzyme showed higher efficiency in the degradation (64%) of RBBR dye in 48 h, with improvement in the process in 72 h (75%). The new biocatalyst showed operational efficiency during three cycles, and a higher degradation rate than the free enzyme, making it a competitive biocatalyst and amenable to industrial applications.

As a consequence of intense industrialization in the last few decades, the amount of agro-industrial wastes has increasing, where new forms of valorization are crucial. In this work, 5 residual biomasses from Maranhão (Brazil) were investigted as supports for immobilization of lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL). The new biocatalysts BM-TLL (babaçu mesocarp) and RH-TLL (rice husk) showed immobilization efficiencies >98% and hydrolytic activities of 5,331 U.g-1 and 4.608 U. g-1 respectively against 142 U. g-1 by Lipozyme® TL IM. High esterification activities were also found, with 141.4 U.g-1 and 396.4 U.g-1 from BM-TLL and RH-TLL against 113.5 U.g-1 by TL IM. Results of porosimetry, SEM and BET demonstrated BM and RH supports are mesoporous materials with large hydrophobic area, allowing a mixture of hydrophobic adsorption and confinement, resulting in hyperactivation of TLL. These biocatalysts were applied in the production of hexyl laurate, where RH-TLL was able to generate 94% conversion in 4 h. Desorption with Triton X-100 and NaCl confirmed that new biocatalysts were more efficient with 5 times less protein than commercial TL IM. All results demonstrated that residual biomass was able to produce robust and stable biocatalysts containing immobilized TLL with better results than commercial preparations.

O carbofuran (2,3-di-hidro-2,2-dimetil-benzofuranil-N-metilcarbamato) é um inseticida pertencente ao grupo dos carbamatos, amplamente utilizado no controle de pragas em culturas de grande valor comercial, bioacumulável e extremamente tóxico ao meio ambiente. Uma alternativa para a remediação de áreas contaminadas com agrotóxicos é a biorremediação, que consiste na utilização de microrganismos ou suas enzimas para remover compostos químicos persistentes. Com isso, o objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a biodegradação do carbofuran, empregando o fungo Syncephalastrum racemosum, por meio da avaliação da tolerância fúngica, atividade enzimática e quantificação dos resíduos por espectrofotometria UV-Visível. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o S. racemosum apresentou melhor capacidade de biodegradação na concentração de 15 µg mL-1 de carbofuran (93,02%), com os valores de IVCM de 21,95 cm dia-1, lacase (0,712 U mL-1) e lignina peroxidase (0,005 U mL-1), durante 168 h de incubação. Assim, a taxa de degradação no intervalo de 25 a 100 µg mL-1 apresentou valores de 12,66 a 75,58%, respectivamente. Com base nestes resultados, o fungo apresenta grande potencial para ser utilizado na biorremediação, minimizando os impactos deste agrotóxico no meio ambiente.