(714c) Kinetics and Mechanism of Cellulase Hydrolysis of Nanocrystalline Cellulose

Xiaohui Ju, Xiao Zhang

School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Centre for Bioproducts and Bioenergy, Washington State University,

Abstract

Decrystallization of cellulose is a major bottleneck in enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. The kinetic and mechanism of enzyme degradation of nanocrystalline cellulose prepared from bleached kraft pulp were investigated. The efficiency of enzymatic degradation of nanocrystalline cellulose by three commercial enzymes was determined. All these cellulase preparations demonstrated the ability to degrade nanocrystalline cellulose. The mechanism of enzyme decrystallization of cellulose was investigated by XRD and NMR. This presentation will discuss some of the new findings in cellulose crystal structural changes during enzymatic hydrolysis.