The
nonproductive adsorption of cellulase onto lignin significantly
inhibited the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. In
this study, we constructed a rapid fluorescence detection (RFD) system,
and using this system, we demonstrated that the addition of cationic
additives DTAB or polyDADMAC greatly increased the partition coefficients
of cellulose/lignin, reduced nonproductive adsorption, and enhanced
the hydrolysis efficiency of lignocellulose compared to those of Tweens
or PEGs. Moreover, the addition of polyDADMAC and DTAB increased the
glucose yield released from the mixture of Avicel and AICS-lignin
(MCL) by 16.9 and 20.6%, respectively, and reduced the inhibition
rate of lignin by 16.9 and 20.7%, respectively. Interestingly, polyDADMAC
or DTAB treatment performed more effectively for the enzymatic hydrolysis
of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass, compared with MCL. We confirmed
that the reduced hydrophobicity and increased zeta potential of lignin
cocontribute to the dampening nonproductive adsorption of lignin.
In particular, the zeta potential values of lignin and the partition
coefficients of Avicel/lignin with the addition of additives showed
a good correlation, suggesting that electrostatic force also plays
a crucial role in the adsorbing of cellulase on lignin. This work
will be conducive to decreasing the nonproductive binding of cellulase
onto lignin and enhancing cellulose conversion.