Preliminary Cellulase catalyzed digestion experiment using different cellulosesubstrates

摘要

The use of enzymes for digestion process provides a cleaner option when compared to conventional chemical methods. However there is need to improve the efficiency of these unit operations involving bioprocess by way of process intensification techniques. In this project commercially available enzyme is used for the digestion process. Three different cellulosic substrates, namely, rice husk, bagasse and cotton were used for the degradation by two different concentrations of commercially available Cellulase. Two different approaches were employed for this purpose. In one of the experiment was conducted on fresh samples and in the other it was conducted on the samples which were incubated overnight. Various standard process parameters such as, enzyme concentration, time, temperature and pH were followed in this enzyme assisted digestion process. The results indicated that cellulase enzyme based digestion system gave results when the samples were incubated for longer hours. Although more work is proposed to know the yield patterns, the present work clearly indicates that it is a novel and ecofriendly procedure.