Study on co-immobilized cellulase by carbon nanotubes and sodium alginate

Cellulase has been potentially applied in ethanol production, extraction of medicinal ingredients, food, brewing, oil exploration, environmental protection, and other industries. However, the widespread use of cellulase is limited by its relatively high production costs and low biological activity. In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and sodium alginate were used as carriers to co-immobilize enzyme for the first time. The objective of this study was to provide a method for immobilizing enzyme that allowed the enzyme to be reused in multiple cycles, reducing production costs, and overcoming technical bottlenecks. The conditions for co-immobilization of enzyme with multiwalled carbon nanotubes and sodium alginate were studied. An orthogonal experimental design was applied to optimize critical conditions for the immobilization process. The results showed that the optimum process conditions for immobilized enzyme were as follows: enzyme concentration of 3 mg/mL, temperature of 40°C, and pH of 3.0. The research provides a new method for immobilizing cellulase and a basis for industrial manufacturing processes.