Stimulus-responsive nano-structured bio-hybrid membranes reactors in water purification

This chapter focuses on how the different signal-responsive interactions within the membrane or its surroundings can be tuned and monitored in controlled environments in order to modulate reversible enzyme immobilization. Membrane processes have a range of inherent limitations, a membrane system designed to treat wastewater may be limited by the water's high concentration of suspended solids, viscosity, osmotic pressure, and temperature when trying to attain a target quality. Hybrid membrane processes refer to the integration of membranes with biocatalysis in membrane bioreactors (MBR). The biocatalyst used in MBR can be of microorganisms, algal biomass, or purified enzymes. The use of stimulus-responsive particles may hold a great potential to enable the dispersal and recovery of biocatalysts used in facilitating reaction occurring at the membrane-solution interface. The future innovations on the basis of stimulus-responsive enzyme immobilization will lead to the design of more complex membrane systems that are capable of mimicking nature.