Anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass and wastes. Cellulases and related enzymes.

Anaerobic digestion represents one of several commercially viable processes to convert woody biomass, agricultural wastes, and municipal solid wastes to methane gas, a useful energy source. This process occurs in the absence of oxygen, and is substantially less energy intensive than aerobic biological processes designed for disposal purposes. The anaerobic conversion process is a result of the synergistic effects of various microorganisms, which serve as a consortium. The rate-limiting step of this conversion process has been identified as the hydrolysis of cellulose, the major polymeric component of most biomass and waste feedstocks. Improvements in process economics therefore rely on improving the kinetic and physicochemical characteristics of cellulose degrading enzymes. The most thoroughly studied cellulase enzymes are produced by aerobic fungi, namely Trichoderma reesei. However, the pH and temperature optima of fungal cellulases make them incompatible for use in anaerobic digestion systems, and the major populations of microorganisms involved in cellulase enzyme production under anaerobic digestion conditions are various bacterial producers. The current state of understanding of the major groups of bacterial cellulase producers is reviewed in this paper. Also addressed in this review are recently developed methods for the assessment of actual cellulase activity levels, reflective of the digester "hydrolytic potential," using a series of detergent extractive procedures.