Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Enzyme or coenzyme containing – Oxidoreductases
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-22
2003-03-25
Marx, Irene (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Enzyme or coenzyme containing
Oxidoreductases
C435S128000, C435S254100, C435S911000, C435S189000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06537546
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a process for enzymatic macromolecularization of phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds and to applications of the macromolecules obtained by the process.
More particularly, the present invention provides a process for producing phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds which have increased molecular weights by reacting phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds with an enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity in the alkaline pH region, and applications of the reaction method of increasing the molecular weight of phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds utilizing the above-described catalytic activity of the enzyme in the alkali regions to obtain thickeners, stabilizers, coagulants, emulsifiers, dispersants, water retainers, antioxidants, adhesives, concrete admixtures, dyes, deodorants, smell eliminators, coating materials, petroleum recovering agents, soil conditioners, blow-applied seed bearing surface soil stabilizers, agricultural chemical spreaders, feeding stuff binders, bactericides, antimicrobial agents, viral infection inhibitors, bioadhesion preventives, biotic repellents, insecticides, poultices, ink bases and wood treating agents; a method of producing these various agents; a method of waste water disposal; a method of deoxygenation; and methods of treating wood, concrete and soil, respectively.
BACKGROUND ART
Hitherto, it has been known that phenolic compounds etc. can be macromolecularized by utilizing an enzyme such as laccase or polyphenol oxidase produced by Basidiomycotina or Deuteromycotina (Journal of Biotechnology,
13
, 229-241, 1990 and etc. so on). However, the laccases or polyphenol oxidases produced by fungi have their optimal reaction pH in the acidic region so that the reaction must be carried out in pH region ranging from acidic to neutral in order to catalyze or accelerate the macromolecularization reaction utilizing these enzymes and in addition, the rate of the macromolecularization reaction is not high enough. Also, the natural organic compounds with which these enzymes react are mainly polyphenolic compounds and, hence, the reaction must be carried out in the pH region ranging from acidic to neutral because the optimal reaction pH of the enzyme is in the acidic region despite the fact that the polyphenolic compounds have solubilities which decrease in the pH region from acidic to neutral, resulting in a defect that it is impossible to efficiently macromolecularize polyphenolic compounds in high concentrations. Further, although many polyphenolic compounds are accelerated their autooxidation in the alkaline pH region, enzymatic oxidative macromolecularization has been carried out in the pH region ranging from acidic to neutral, resulting in a defect that the autooxidation cannot be utilized effectively.
Further, it has been known that phenolic compounds, etc. can be macromolecularized with bilirubin oxidase, too, and this reaction can be utilized in the macromolecularization of lignin and dying of cotton (WO95-01426, and JP-A-6-316874). However, in the prior art using bilirubin oxidase, the enzyme-catalytic macromolecularization of phenolic compounds, etc., is carried out in the pH region ranging from acidic to neutral and therefore the macromolecularization reaction rate is not sufficiently high or there is no description suggesting that the macromolecularization reaction of phenolic compounds is accelerated in the alkaline pH region by bilirubin oxidase.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a process of enzyme-catalytically macromolecularizing phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds in the alkaline pH region.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process of producing thickeners, stabilizers, coagulants, emulsifiers, dispersants, water retainers, antioxidants, adhesives, concrete admixtures, dyes, coating materials, petroleum recovering agents, soil conditioners, blow-applied seed bearing surface soil stabilizers, deodorants, smell eliminators, agricultural chemical spreaders, feeding stuff binders, bactericides, antimicrobial agents, viral infection inhibitors, bioadhesion preventives, biotic repellents, insecticides, poultices, ink bases and wood treating agents, comprising the step of efficiently macromolecularizing phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds using an enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity in the alkaline pH region.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide thickeners, stabilizers, coagulants, emulsifiers, dispersants, water retainers, antioxidants, adhesives, concrete admixtures, dyes, coating materials, petroleum recovering agents, soil conditioners, blow-applied seed bearing surface soil stabilizers, deodorants, smell eliminators, agricultural chemical spreaders, feeding stuff binders, bactericides, antimicrobial agents, viral infection inhibitors, bioadhesion preventives, biotic repellents, insecticides, poultices, ink bases and wood treating agents, comprising the macromolecules obtained by efficiently macromolecularizing the above-described phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of treating waste water containing phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds, in which the above-described compounds are disposed from the waste water by utilizing the above-described macromolecularization reaction according to the present invention.
Further, yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of deoxygenation in which the above-described macromolecularization reaction according to the present invention is utilized to remove dissolved oxygen.
Further, object of the present invention is to provide a method of treating wood utilizing the above-described macromolecularization reaction according to the present invention.
Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of treating concrete utilizing the above-described macromolecularization reaction according to the present invention.
Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of improving the soil utilizing the above-described macromolecularization reaction according to the present invention.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have made intensive investigation in order to develop a process of efficiently macromolecularizing phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds. As a result, they have now found that, surprisingly, use of a suitable enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity in the alkaline region, particularly in the alkaline pH region not lower than pH 8, results in the achievement of efficient macromolecularization of phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds, thus completing the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention provides the followings:
1) A process of producing phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds having increased molecular weights, characterized by comprising allowing an enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity to act on phenolic compounds or aromatic amine compounds in the alkaline pH region to macromolecularize them.
2) The process as described in 1) above, characterized in that the macromolecularization is carried out in the alkaline pH region of not lower than pH 8.
3) The process as described in 1) or 2) above, characterized in that as the enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity is used one or more of catechol oxidase, laccase, polyphenol oxidase, ascorbic acid oxidase or bilirubin oxidase.
4) The process as described in any one of 1) to 3), wherein use is made of an enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity obtained by cultivating a bacterium belonging to the genus Bacillus.
5) The process as described in 4) above, wherein the enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity is an enzyme obtained by cultivating
Bacillus licheniformis
or
Bacillus natto.
6) The process as described in 5) above, wherein the enzyme having a polyphenol oxidizing activity is an enzyme obtained by cultivating
B
Echigo Takashi
Ohno Ritsuko
Marx Irene
SDS Biotech K.K.
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