Cellulosic Materials: Structure and Enzymatic Hydrolysis Relationships

Structural and morphological features of four different cellulosic materials have been studied by X-ray, CP-MAS NMR, water retention, and specific surface area analysis. Hydrolysis time courses of two of these celluloses were followed by employing an enzymatic system consisting of a cellulase from Trichoderma viride and a cellobiase from Aspergillus niger. Experimental results were rationalized on the basis of a mathematical model previously verified on the other two substrates. All the celluloses presented the same mechanistic framework involving product inhibitions. The most efficient pretreatment was found to be the dissolution of cellulosic material in the dimethyl sulfoxide-paraformaldehyde system and regeneration with ammonia. This treatment cancelled the memory of the initial structural order.