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Difference between revisions of "Enzymatic processes"
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Enzymatic processes (view source)
Revision as of 13:21, 24 September 2021
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'''Enzymes''' (/ˈɛnzaɪmz/) are proteins that act as biological catalysts (biocatalysts).<ref>{{Cite web|year=2021|title=Enzyme|e-pub date=|date accessed=24-09-21|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme}}</ref> | |||
In terms of lignocellulosic biomass valorisation, enzymes find two main applications: i) biomass pretreatment, and ii) polysaccharides hydrolysis. | |||
Enzymatic processes | Enzymatic processes | ||
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. 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. To increase the hydrolysis efficiency, a pretreatment step prior to enzymatic reaction is usually required due to the complex lignocellulosic biomass composition ([[Primary processing]]). | 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. 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. To increase the hydrolysis efficiency, a pretreatment step prior to enzymatic reaction is usually required due to the complex lignocellulosic biomass composition ([[Primary processing]]). | ||