Preparation of high permeability cellulose fibers containing enzymes

• US 3,947,325 A
• Filed: 04/11/1974
• Issued: 03/30/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ANIC SPA
• Original Assignee: Snamprogetti S.p.A. (Saipem)
• Inventors: Gulinelli, Silvio, Bartoli, Francesco, Dinelli, Dino
• Primary Examiner(s): Naff, David M.
• Application Number:
  US05/460,225
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 195/63, 195/68, 195/DIG. 11, 264/49
• US Class Current: 435/179
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/04 entrapped within the carrier, e.g. gel or hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 11/02 of cellulose, cellulose derivatives, or proteins
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 2/10 Addition to the spinning solution or spinning bath of substances which exert their effect equally well in either
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 2/26 from nitrocellulose

Abstract

High permeability cellulose fibers containing enzymes are formed by preparing a solution of nitrocellulose in a solvent that is insoluble in water, preparing an aqueous enzyme solution, mixing together the nitrocellulose and enzyme solutions and emulsifying the mixture, spinning the emulsion into a coagulating bath to produce fibers englobing enzymes and treating the fibers with a reducing agent under conditions which do not damage the enzymes so that nitro groups are removed from the nitrocellulose.

Claims

1. The process of preparing cellulose fibers of high permeability containing englobed enzymatic material adapted to exert catalytic activity in enzymatic reactions, which consists of the steps of dissolving nitrocellulose in a solvent which is insoluble in water, preparing an aqueous solution of said enzymatic material, emulsifying said solutions, spinning said emulsion into a coagulating bath to produce nitrocellulose fibers containing englobed enzymatic material, and then treating said fibers with a reducing agent under operating conditions which do not damage the enzymatic material so that nitro groups are removed from said nitrocellulose.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reducing agent is an ammonium sulfhydrate solution or a mixture thereof with a slight excess of ammonia or hydrogen sulphide.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solvent insoluble in water is a member of the group consisting of n-butylacetate, bis-butylphtalate, methyl-amylketone and ethylamylketone.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solvent insoluble in water contains a diluent selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons and mixtures of hydrocarbons.

5. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the englobed enzymatic material is a member of the group consisting of urease, invertase, lactase, acylase, transaminase, glucose-oxidase, catalase, papain, tryptophan synthetase and penicillin acylase.