ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS OF CELLULOSE: DETERMINATION OF KINETIC PARAMETERS

The effects of cellulose substrate concentration, cellulase enzyme concentration, and product concentration on the kinetic parameters involved in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose have been studied. The Michaelis constant showed a decreasing trend with a decreasing crystallinity of cellulose substrate while the maximum reaction rate showed an increasing trend. These kinetic parameters were found to be significantly larger when the enzyme concentration was increased. The adsorption kinetic parameters showed an increasing trend as the crystallinity is decreased. It was found that the optimal enzyme loading should be determined by the source, concentration, and crystallinity of cellulose substrate and the initial specific rate of cellulose hydrolysis which is, in large part, influenced by the degree of crystallinity of cellulose substrate. The inhibition constant for cellulase-by cellobiose and that for cellobiase were also determined. These kinetic parameters determined experimentally can be applied to kinetic modeling and simulation of cellulose hydrolysis.