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Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulytic Fibers Enhanced by Cationic Polyelectrolytes

John Reye and Sujit Banerjee. School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 500 10th Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30332

“Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulytic Fibers Enhanced by Cationic Polyelectrolytes”

Manufacturing pulp, paper and related products produces a considerable amount of cellulosic sludge. Approximately 5.5 million dry tons of sludge are disposed of each year by the pulp and paper mills, valued as a huge loss. Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic waste followed by anaerobic conversion to methane may provide a viable alternative to waste disposal methods such as incineration and landfilling. This is based on our recent finding that cationic polymers increase the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of two model substrates: cellulosic fiber and cornstarch. Preliminary findings show a 20% or greater increase in initial rate of hydrolysis for appropriate systems. At high concentration (1000 ppm) c-PAM is advantageous for cellulosic fiber, while lower concentration (100 ppm) more positively enhances cornstarch hydrolysis. This concept may result in a greater breakdown of cellulosic solid waste, which could be applicable to a variety of other systems where an enzyme is breaking down an insoluble substrate.