Candida antarctica Lipase B Immobilization Onto Hybrid Organic-inorganic Mesoporous Materials

Based on MCM-41 mesoporous silica, three different hybrid organic-inorganic mesoporous materials were synthesized. Functionalization and hydrophobization of MCM-41 with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS), and propyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS) were carried out by post-synthesis method after the removal of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide used as template. The effect of grafted organosilanes on the mesostructural properties of the resulted hybrid materials was systematically analyzed by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption isotherms, FT-IR and 29Si MAS NMR. Functionalized MCM-41 samples were used as support for Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) immobilization. The activity of the new biocatalysts was evaluated in the alcoholysis of ethyl acetate with two alcohols (1-hexanol and 1-butanol, respectively) and compared with that of the free enzyme. All reactions were performed in organic media using n-hexane as solvent.