Laccase immobilization on bacterial cellulose produced in a mulberry pomace waste extract medium: Characterization and use for dye decolorization

The present study aimed to immobilize laccase on dry bacterial cellulose (BC) produced by Komagataeibacter xylinus B759 in mulberry pomace waste extract as a low-cost and natural waste by-product and to determine the effectiveness of the obtained laccase immobilized BC (Lac/BC) for textile dye decolorization. The highest BC yield obtained after optimization studies was as 1.70 g/L in pH 8.0 medium at 32 degrees C after 15 days. BC and Lac/BC structures were characterized by different instrumental techniques. A transition to more amorphous character was observed with the binding of the enzyme structure. The morphological properties and fiber structure of the BC and enzyme-linked cellulose structures were examined by SEM and AFM analyses. Obtained Lac/BC pieces were used for the decolorization of Reactive Blue 171 (RB 171) and Reactive Blue 198 (RB 198) diazo dyes during the repeated-batch process. As a result of using 12 pieces of Lac/BC, 93% and 98% decolorization values were obtained for the RB 171 and RB 198 dyes in the first use, while the color removal was still 83% and 51% at the 8th use, respectively. The results showed that BC produced in a mulberry pomace waste extract can be used for laccase immobilization and Lac/BC is an effective and promising system for textile dye decolorization.