Thin film membrane enzyme reactor and method of using same
First Claim
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1. An enzyme reactor consisting essentially of:
- a support;
an enzyme hydrogel layer physically entrapped on said support; and
a porous thin film diffusion membrane on said enzyme hydrogel layer, wherein said thin film diffusion membrane has a thickness of from about 0.0012 to 0.2 microns and a pore size sufficient to permit diffusion of a substrate for said enzyme and of the product of a reaction of said substrate catalyzed by said enzyme, but which will not permit said enzyme to pass through said thin film diffusion membrane, said thin film diffusion membrane adapted to direct exposure of a process stream.
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Abstract
An enzyme reactor system is provided based on the entrapment of an enzyme in a hydrogel layer coated on a support, and confined by an ultraporous thin film membrane diffusion barrier. The diffusion barrier confines the enzyme, but lets substrate and reaction products diffuse feeely into and out of the hydrogel layer. In an alternate embodiment, the support is formed of an ultraporous thin film membrane diffusion barrier on a microporous or macroporous support, through which the reaction products can diffuse freely, but through which neither enzyme nor substrate can pass. In this embodiment, the product is recovered in high purity, free of substrate and enzyme.
18 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An enzyme reactor consisting essentially of:
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a support; an enzyme hydrogel layer physically entrapped on said support; and a porous thin film diffusion membrane on said enzyme hydrogel layer, wherein said thin film diffusion membrane has a thickness of from about 0.0012 to 0.2 microns and a pore size sufficient to permit diffusion of a substrate for said enzyme and of the product of a reaction of said substrate catalyzed by said enzyme, but which will not permit said enzyme to pass through said thin film diffusion membrane, said thin film diffusion membrane adapted to direct exposure of a process stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for using an enzyme reactor the steps consisting essentially of:
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forming an enzyme reactor which comprises; a support; an enzyme hydrogel layer physically entrapped on said support; and a porous thin film diffusion membrane on said enzyme hydrogel layer, wherein said thin film diffusion membrane has a thickness of from about 0.0012 to 0.2 microns and a pore size sufficient to permit diffusion of a substrate for said enzyme and of the product of a reaction of said substrate catalyzed by said enzyme, but which will not permit said enzyme to pass through said thin film diffusion membrane; placing said enzyme reactor into a reactor vessel; dissolving substrate for said enzyme in a solvent therefor; passing said dissolved substrate through said reactor vessel in such a manner that said substrate and said solvent therefor are in direct exposure to said porous thin film diffusion membrane; allowing said substrate to interact with said enzyme, thereby forming a product; collecting the product of said interaction of said substrate and said enzyme. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification