BEHAVIOR OF POLYACRYLAMIDE ENCAPSULATED UREASE

Urease (Urea amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.5) prepared from Indian jack bea n meal has been entrapped in the lattices of polyacrylamide gel. The o ptimum pH was observed to be 7.0 for both the column as well as batch reactors. K(m) values were found out to be 0.025 M for soluble urease and 0.0245 M for immobilized urease. Energy of activation for the reac tion in the presence of immobilized urease was 6.09 Kcal/mole and that for soluble urease was 9.15 Kcal/mole. Optimum protein to gel ratio f or the maximum entrapment of urease was 0.16 g protein per 100 gm of p olyacrylamide gel. Half-life for the immobilized urease kept at 15-deg rees-C was 45 days and for the continuous operation of the enzyme reac tor at 30-degrees-C was 20 days.