Advances and Current Challenges in Cellulase Recycling

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2022) | Viewed by 4919

Special Issue Editor

CEB—Centre of Biological Engineering, Campus de Gualtar, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: lignocellulosics conversion; biorefineries; biofuels; cell factories design; yeast physiology; techno-economic analysis; industrial fermentation processes; bioinformatics and system biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A rising demand for energy and other items commonly based in the petrochemical industry is creating alarming levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Accordingly, great efforts have been made in targeting cleaner energy sources and alternative routes to chemical synthesis.

In this sense, lignocellulosic materials have increasingly been used as a promising source of cellulose, the most abundant polymer in nature. This complex sugar can be enzymatically converted into monomers and subsequently converted into a variety of compounds, ranging from biofuels to biopolymers. However, and despite the significant advances already achieved by industry, the cost of cellulase remains one of the main bottlenecks of lignocellulosics conversion.

The concept of cellulase recycling – enzyme recovery and reutilization on a subsequent round – has been getting increasing attention in regards to the role it plays in achieving important enzyme savings. In fact, numerous studies have recently shown its application in the hydrolysis of different lignocellulosic materials and following distinct recycling strategies.

This Special Issue will focus on recent advances over processes of cellulase recovery and reutilization, either referring to distinct enzyme recovery methods or new recycling schemes. Additionally, it will also look for the main challenges (technical/economic) associated with a viable implementation of cellulase recycling on the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials.

Dr. Daniel Gomes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • cellulose
  • cellulase cost
  • cellulase reutilization
  • cellulase recovery
  • lignocellulosic materials
  • bioethanol
  • biorefineries

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3682 KiB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Adsorption of Major Enzymes in a Cellulase Cocktail Obtained from Trichoderma reesei onto Different Types of Lignin
by Dae-Seok Lee, Younho Song, Yoon-Gyo Lee and Hyeun-Jong Bae
Polymers 2022, 14(1), 167; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14010167 - 01 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1538
Abstract
Cellulase adsorption onto lignin decreases the productivity of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Here, adsorption of enzymes onto different types of lignin was investigated, and the five major enzymes—cellobiohydrolases (CBHs), endoglucanase (Cel7B), β-glucosidase (Cel3A), xylanase (XYNIV), and mannanase (Man5A)—in a cellulase cocktail obtained [...] Read more.
Cellulase adsorption onto lignin decreases the productivity of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Here, adsorption of enzymes onto different types of lignin was investigated, and the five major enzymes—cellobiohydrolases (CBHs), endoglucanase (Cel7B), β-glucosidase (Cel3A), xylanase (XYNIV), and mannanase (Man5A)—in a cellulase cocktail obtained from Trichoderma reesei were individually analyzed through SDS-PAGE and zymogram assay. Lignin was isolated from woody (oak and pine lignin) and herbaceous (rice straw and kenaf lignin) plants. The relative adsorption of CBHs compared to the control was in the range of 14.15–18.61%. The carbohydrate binding motif (CBM) of the CBHs contributed to higher adsorption levels in oak and kenaf lignin, compared to those in pine and rice lignin. The adsorption of endoglucanase (Cel7B) by herbaceous plant lignin was two times higher than that of woody lignin, whereas XYNIV showed the opposite pattern. β-glucosidase (Cel3A) displayed the highest and lowest adsorption ratios on rice straw and kenaf lignin, respectively. Mannanase (Man5A) was found to have the lowest adsorption ratio on pine lignin. Our results showed that the hydrophobic properties of CBM and the enzyme structures are key factors in adsorption onto lignin, whereas the properties of specific lignin types indirectly affect adsorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Current Challenges in Cellulase Recycling)
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Review

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21 pages, 1880 KiB  
Review
Current Options in the Valorisation of Vine Pruning Residue for the Production of Biofuels, Biopolymers, Antioxidants, and Bio-Composites following the Concept of Biorefinery: A Review
by Meirielly Jesus, Aloia Romaní, Fernando Mata and Lucília Domingues
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1640; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14091640 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
Europe is considered the largest producer of wine worldwide, showing a high market potential. Several wastes are generated at the different stages of the wine production process, namely, vine pruning, stalks, and grape marc. Typically, these residues are not used and are commonly [...] Read more.
Europe is considered the largest producer of wine worldwide, showing a high market potential. Several wastes are generated at the different stages of the wine production process, namely, vine pruning, stalks, and grape marc. Typically, these residues are not used and are commonly discarded. Portugal generates annually approximately 178 thousand metric tons of wine production waste. In this context, the interest in redirecting the use of these residues has increased due to overproduction, great availability, and low costs. The utilization of these lignocellulosic biomasses derived from the wine industry would economically benefit the producers, while mitigating impacts on the environment. These by-products can be submitted to pre-treatments (physical, chemical, and biological) for the separation of different compounds with high industrial interest, reducing the waste of agro-industrial activities and increasing industrial profitability. Particularly, vine-pruning residue, besides being a source of sugar, has high nutritional value and may serve as a source of phenolic compounds. These compounds can be obtained by bioconversion, following a concept of biorefinery. In this framework, the current routes of the valorisation of the pruning residues will be addressed and put into a circular economy context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Current Challenges in Cellulase Recycling)
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