Enzyme-based lignocellulose hydrolyzation--Sauter mean diameter of raw materials as a basis for cellulase performance characterization and yield prediction.

The characterization of cellulase performance for industrial-scale processes holds special challenges. A huge gap exists between the enzyme characterization in a laboratory and large-scale process performances. Common cellulase mixtures from Novozymes and enzymes provided by Moscow State University were used to hydrolyze wheat straw, grass, pine wood, and aspen wood. Glucose yields from the enzymatic hydrolysis of the raw materials were investigated as a function of cellulase enzyme loading and of particle sizes with different solid loading. The particle size had a significant effect on glucose yield, while the used enzyme concentration had a much smaller effect. Hydrolyses of sets of wheat straw particles were used to introduce a substrate-specific kinetic enzyme unit. The data were also used to generate an empirical model in order to predict the glucose yield on the basis of the Sauter mean diameter of the feedstocks.