The recycling of cellulase enzymes is one potential strategy for reducing the cost of the enzymatic hydrolysis step during the bioconversion of lignocellulosics to ethanol. To determine the influence of lignin on the post-hydrolysis distribution of cellulase enzymes between the liquid and solid phases, the hydrolysis of Avicel was compared to an organosolv-pretreated Douglas fir substrate with a lignin content of 3.0%. After a 12 h hydrolysis reaction on Avicel, 90% of the added cellulases (including beta-glucosidases) remained "free" in the liquid phase compared to only 65% in the case of the hydrolysis of the organosolv-pretreated Douglas fir substrate. The readsorption of free cellulases by supplementing the hydrolysis reaction with fresh substrate was explored as a potential means of recovering the free cellulases that remain in the liquid phase after hydrolysis. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm was used to develop a model predicting that 82% of the free cellulases could be recovered via readsorption onto fresh substrates during the hydrolysis of an ethanol-pretreated mixed softwood substrate with a lignin content of 6%. Recoverable free cellulase values of 85% and 88% based on cellulase activity and protein content, respectively, were obtained after experimental verification of the model. The readsorption of free cellulases onto fresh lignocellulosic substrates was shown to be an effective method for free enzyme recovery.

The strong association of condensed phenolic moieties in isolated lignins with their inhibition of enzymatic hydrolysis.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials is significantly affected by cellulase adsorption onto the lignocellulosic substrates and lignin. The presence of lignin plays an important role in lignocellulosic hydrolysis and enzyme recycling. Three cellulase preparations (Celluclast, Spezyme CP, and MSUBC) were evaluated to determine their adsorption onto cellulolytic enzyme lignin (CEL) from steam-exploded Lodgepole pine (SELP) and ethanol (organosolv)-pretreated Lodgepole pine (EPLP). The adsorption affinity of cellulase (Celluclast) onto isolated lignin (CEL-EPLP and CEL-SELP) was slightly higher than that from corresponding EPLP and SELP substrates on the basis of the Langmuir constants. Effects of temperature, ionic strength, and surfactant on cellulase adsorption onto isolated lignin were also explored in this study. Thermodynamic analysis of enzyme adsorption onto isolated lignin (Gibbs free energy change DeltaG(0) approximately -30 kJ/mol) indicated this adsorption was a spontaneous process. The addition of surfactant (0.2% w/v) could reduce the adsorption of cellulase onto CEL-SELP by 60%. Two types of adsorption isotherm were compared for cellulase adsorption onto isolated lignin. A Langmuir adsorption isotherm showed better fit for the experimental data than a Freundlich adsorption isotherm.

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