Impact of the presence of solids on peroxidase‐catalyzed treatment of aqueous phenol

The impact of the presence of solids on the treatment of aqueous solutions of phenol using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide was investigated. The solids studied were silica gel, kaolin, bentonite, cellulose and peat moss. Kaolin, bentonite, cellulose and peat moss enhanced phenol transformation at pH 5.0 and 7.0 starting at concentrations of 100, 1000 or 10 000 mg dm−3. At pH 9.0, bentonite and kaolin had negative impacts when present at 10 000 mg dm−3 and peat moss when present at 1000 mg dm−3 and 10 000 mg dm−3. In the case of bentonite and peat moss, the enhancing effects at pH 7.0 were associated with the dissolved or colloidal constituents, while in the case of kaolin, the enhancing effects were due to the solid material. Freshly made bentonite suspensions inactivated the peroxidase enzyme; however aged bentonite suspensions and their supernatants did not affect enzyme stability. H2O2 was unstable in solutions containing peat moss constituents. Phenolic solutions treated in the presence of bentonite, kaolin and peat moss were significantly less toxic than the controls, indicating that these materials were able to interact with and partially neutralize precursors of toxic reaction products.