Immobilisation for a stable biocatalyst application

This publication highlights the importance of immobilisation in obtaining stable biocatalysts. It is a review of the main immobilisation methods with their advantages and disadvantages. A distinction is made between methods that require a support (adsorption, covalent binding, binding via transition metals, entrapment/encapsulation) and those that do not (cross-linking, immobilisation in a reactor volume). The main characteristics that a material should have in order to be a suitable carrier for enzymes and the most popular carrier groups are discussed. The paper also highlights the factors that should be considered when designing an immobilisation methodology and the main parameters that characterise the immobilisation process. Attention is also given to the selection of a suitable reactor solution.