Pressure-Driven Enzyme Entrapment in Siliceous Mesocellular Foam

A pressure-driven method was employed to immobilize enzymes on hydrophobic mesoporous silica supports. This approach gave rise to higher enzyme loading and reduced enzyme leaching, compared to conventional methods. Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) was successfully entrapped in the cagelike pores of siliceous mesocellular foam using this method. The resulting supported enzyme catalyst demonstrated reusability and thermal stability superior to those of the commercial immobilized CALB catalyst, Novozyme 435.