A quest for efficient biotransformation of cellulosic material into sustainable biochemical products for recent biotechnological interventions is currently under way. Herein, we report the fabrication of nanobiocatalyst (NBC) employing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as a template for immobilizing cellulase enzyme, which catalyzed the hydrolysis of cellulose into glucose. Magnetic character was imported to HNTs by in situ anchoring of iron oxide nanoparticles, onto which cellulase was immobilized using aminosilane surface-functional chemistry. Characterization studies revealed nanobiocatalyst to be extremely stable during heterogeneous catalysis without compromising their catalytic activity. The optimization of process parameters yielded ∼93.5% activity of cellulase with high enzyme loading (111.6 mg·g–1 HNTs) after immobilization. Immobilized cellulase displayed superior stability at elevated temperatures (≥60°C) and storage capability compared with their free forms. The NBC even retained ∼68.2% of its original activity after seven consecutive uses with a minimum yield of 25.4 mg glucose·g–1 cellulose and was 100% recoverable using a magnet. Displaying a high ionic-liquid tolerance ability is concurrent with superior catalytic potential against CMC and extracted cellulose (bagasse), and achieving ∼50.2% saccharification and 0.56 g glucose·g–1 cellulose within 48 h of continuous operation establishes the commercial viability of using cellulase-immobilized HNTs for efficient cellulose hydrolysis. The sustainability and eco-friendly endeavors in this approach would pave the way toward valorization and consolidated bioprocessing of cellulose materials.

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Nanomaterials possessing enzyme like activities have shown immense potential to improve plants’ performance under unfavorable conditions such as abiotic stresses. Although several strategies for evaluating nano-bio interactions have been evidenced...

Background: The limitless presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in discharged wastewater has emerged as a threat to aquatic species and humans. Their presence in drinking water has although raised substantial concerns, very little is known about the fate and ecological impacts of these pollutants. As a result, these pollutants are inevitably introduced to our food chain at trace concentrations. Unfortunately, the conventional wastewater treatment techniques are unable to treat pharmaceuticals completely with practical limitations. The focus has now been shifted towards nanotechnology for the successful remediation of these persistent pollutants. Thus, the current review specifically focuses on providing readers brief yet sharp insights into applications of various nanomaterials for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants. Methods: An exhaustive collection of bibliographic database was done with articles having high impact and citations in relevant research domains. An in-depth analysis of screened papers was done through standard tools. Studies were categorized according to the use of nanoscale materials as nano-adsorbents (graphene, carbon nanotubes), nanophotocatalysts (metal, metal oxide), nano-filtration, and ozonation for promising alternative technologies for the efficient removal of recalcitrant contaminants. Results: A total of 365 research articles were selected. The contemporary advancements in the field of nanomaterials for drinking and wastewater treatment have been thoroughly analyzed along with their future perspectives. Conclusion: The recommendations provided in this article will be useful to adopt novel strategies for on-site removal of the emerging contaminants in pharmaceutical effluents and related industries.