Enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrate with less-expensive formulation of homemade cellulase cocktails

This study focused on the efficient production of fermentable sugars from high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic substrate, using homemade cellulase preparation (from China company) combined with surfactants, plant-derived proteins, and accessory enzymes. Results show that various non-ionic and ionic surfactants worked together very effectively, resulting in the 48-h glucose yield of enzymatic hydrolysis increasing by 21.4 %, compared with a single surfactant. The surfactant mixture was particularly competitive at a lower enzyme loading and higher solid content of the enzymatic hydrolysis. Many plant-derived proteins were found to be useful in enzymatic hydrolysis. With the optimized mixture of surfactants, plant-derived protein, and accessory enzymes, the homemade cellulase preparation produced 170 g/L of fermentable sugars (similar to 90 % of the yield) from the enzymatic hydrolysis (2 mg/g dried substrate, 20 % (w/v), 72 h), which was promisingly economic and close to the starchy sugar. The homemade cellulase preparation by formulation with various surfactants and plant-derived proteins supplied a feasible solution for the development of a cost-effective enzymatic hydrolysis process.