Abstract: Cellulose can be easily oxidized to oxycellulose with periodic acid, which can serve as a carrier for the immobilization of hemoglobin(Hb) acting like a bionic gill, to extract oxygen from sea water, which may provide a source of oxygen for human life support in an undersea environment. The objective of the present paper is to study the possibility of using modified cellulose derivatives as a carrier to immobilize a high amount of Hb.

Key words: Oxygen carrier, Oxycellulose, Immobilized hemoglobin, Artificial gill