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- ItemElectron beam-induced immobilization of laccase on porous supports for waste water treatment applications(Basel : MDPI AG, 2014) Jahangiri, E.; Reichelt, S.; Thomas, I.; Hausmann, K.; Schlosser, D.; Schulze, A.The versatile oxidase enzyme laccase was immobilized on porous supports such as polymer membranes and cryogels with a view of using such biocatalysts in bioreactors aiming at the degradation of environmental pollutants in wastewater. Besides a large surface area for supporting the biocatalyst, the aforementioned porous systems also offer the possibility for simultaneous filtration applications in wastewater treatment. Herein a "green" water-based, initiator-free, and straightforward route to highly reactive membrane and cryogel-based bioreactors is presented, where laccase was immobilized onto the porous polymer supports using a water-based electron beam-initiated grafting reaction. In a second approach, the laccase redox mediators 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and syringaldehyde were cross-linked instead of the enzyme via electron irradiation in a frozen aqueous poly(acrylate) mixture in a one pot set-up, yielding a mechanical stable macroporous cryogel with interconnected pores ranging from 10 to 50 μm in size. The membranes as well as the cryogels were characterized regarding their morphology, chemical composition, and catalytic activity. The reactivity towards waste-water pollutants was demonstrated by the degradation of the model compound bisphenol A (BPA). Both membrane- and cryogel-immobilized laccase remained highly active after electron beam irradiation. Apparent specific BPA removal rates were higher for cryogel-than for membrane-immobilized and free laccase, whereas membrane-immobilized laccase was more stable with respect to maintenance of enzymatic activity and prevention of enzyme leakage from the carrier than cryogel-immobilized laccase. Cryogel-immobilized redox mediators remained functional in accelerating the laccase-catalyzed BPA degradation, and especially ABTS was found to act more efficiently in immobilized than in freely dissolved state.
- ItemNano- to millimeter scale morphology of connected and isolated porosity in the permo-triassic khuff formation of Oman(Basel : MDPI AG, 2020) Smodej, Jörg; Lemmens, Laurent; Reuning, Lars; Hiller, Thomas; Klitzsch, Norbert; Claes, Steven; Kukla, Peter A.Carbonate reservoirs form important exploration targets for the oil and gas industry in many parts of the world. This study aims to differentiate and quantify pore types and their relation to petrophysical properties in the Permo-Triassic Khuff Formation, a major carbonate reservoir in Oman. For that purpose, we have employed a number of laboratory techniques to test their applicability for the characterization of respective rock types. Consequently, a workflow has been established utilizing a combined analysis of petrographic and petrophysical methods which provide the best results for pore-system characterization. Micro-computed tomography (μCT) analysis allows a representative 3D assessment of total porosity, pore connectivity, and effective porosity of the ooid-shoal facies but it cannot resolve the full pore-size spectrum of the highly microporous mud-/wackestone facies. In order to resolve the smallest pores, combined mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and BIB (broad ion beam)-SEM analyses allow covering a large pore size range from millimeter to nanometer scale. Combining these techniques, three different rock types with clearly discernible pore networks can be defined. Moldic porosity in combination with intercrystalline porosity results in the highest effective porosities and permeabilities in shoal facies. In back-shoal facies, dolomitization leads to low total porosity but well-connected and heterogeneously distributed vuggy and intercrystalline pores which improves permeability. Micro- and nanopores are present in all analyzed samples but their contribution to effective porosity depends on the textural context. Our results confirm that each individual rock type requires the application of appropriate laboratory techniques. Additionally, we observe a strong correlation between the inverse formation resistivity factor and permeability suggesting that pore connectivity is the dominating factor for permeability but not pore size. In the future, this relationship should be further investigated as it could potentially be used to predict permeability from wireline resistivity measured in the flushed zone close to the borehole wall. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.