Effect of Beating on Enzymatic Saccharification of Wood Pulp

Abstract

Beating or refining has been recently taken notice as a promising pretreatment method for enzymatic saccharification of wood pulp. Softwood bleached kraft pulp (NBKP) and hardwood bleached kraft pulp (LBKP) with varieties of freeness were prepared using Niagara beater to evaluate effectiveness and limitation of beating. The initial glucose yields by enzymatic hydrolysis of beaten pulps were compared. Beating promoted enzymatic saccharification. However, excess beating did not improve the glucose yield, indicating that it did not change the specific surface area accessible to cellulase. The pulp with smaller freeness suffered from dramatic decrease of glucose yield with higher pulp concentration. The result suggested that external fibrillation enhances fiber aggregation, which could limit cellulase accessibility. The glucose yields were different between NBKP and LBKP even with the same freeness. Enzymatic saccharification is also dependent on the type of plant fiber.