Enzymatic processes
Enzymes (/ˈɛnzaɪmz/) are proteins that act as biological catalysts (biocatalysts).[1]
In terms of lignocellulosic biomass valorisation, enzymes find two main applications: i) biomass pretreatment, and ii) polysaccharides hydrolysis.
Enzymatic pretreatment
Enzymatic hydrolysis
Enzymatic hydrolysis processes allow to produce monomeric sugars from (ligno)cellulosic biomass by using specific enzymes (i.e. cellulases and hemicellulases) able to break down the chemical bonds in cellulose and hemicellulose polymers. Several factors can affect the efficiency of this process: accessible surface area and crystallinity of the biomass, as well as pH, time and temperatures of the process[2]. Enzymatic hydrolysis is gaining increased attention with respect to acid hydrolysis due to equipment corrosion, energy consumption, non-recyclability of reagents, fermentation inhibitors production during acid hydrolysis [3]. To increase the hydrolysis efficiency, a pretreatment step prior to enzymatic reaction is usually required due to the complex lignocellulosic biomass composition (Primary processing).
References
- ↑ , 2021: Enzyme , Last access 24-09-21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme
- ↑ Saverio Niglio, Alessandra Procentese, Maria Elena Russo, Giovanni Sannia, Antonio Marzocchella, 2019-06-01: Investigation of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Coffee Silverskin Aimed at the Production of Butanol and Succinic Acid by Fermentative Processes. BioEnergy Research, Vol. 12, (2), 312–324. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-019-09969-6
- ↑ Gabriela Piccolo Maitan-Alfenas, Evan Michael Visser, Valéria Monteze Guimarães, 2015-02-01: Enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass: converting food waste in valuable products. Current Opinion in Food Science, Vol. 1, 44–49. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2014.10.001