Rational design of temperature‐responsive binary polymers containing sulfobetaine and quaternary ammonium fragments for application in lignocellulosic hydrolysis

Abstract Enzymatic strengthening and cellulase recovery are effective ways for improving the economy of lignocellulosic hydrolysis. A series of temperature‐responsive quaternary ammonium salt type enzymatic hydrolysis promoters (PSDM) were obtained by aqueous‐solution free radical polymerization. PSDM dissolved under lignocellulosic enzymatic hydrolysis conditions (50°C). After hydrolysis, it co‐precipitated with cellulase when cooling. PSDM had significantly improved hydrolysis and recycling enzyme properties. The efficiency of high‐solid substrate enzymatic hydrolysis of corncob residues improved to 1.2 times, and 50% of the cellulase amount was saved when adding 1.5 g/L of PSDM 1 to the system. Hydrophobic binding may be the main driving force for co‐precipitation between PSDM and cellulase. In this work, regulation of glucose yield and cellulase consumption were realized by adjusting the ratio of positive and negative charges in PSDM. This work provides a new idea for reducing the cost of technology for this lignocellulosic sugar platform.