Kinetic models for enzymic cellulose degradation in aqueous two-phase systems.
Cellulose materials can readily be degraded into cellobiose and glucose by hydrolysis of the enzymes cellulase and beta-glucosidase in aqueous media. Product inhibition does, however, retard the reaction rate and reduce productivity. This may be avoided by carrying out the degradation of cellulose in an aqueous two-phase system, which permits the enzymes and the substrate to be partitioned to one phase and the products to be extracted into a second phase. In addition, two-phase systems also allow recycling of the enzymes. Here, three models previously developed for "one-phase" enzymic degradation are compared to data from enzymic degradation in an aqueous two-phase system. The models tested agreed relatively well with batch experiments during a period of 200 h. For one of the models tested, continuous degradation also gave accurate agreement.
Mandenius
C F
CF
Pure and Applied Biochemistry, University of Lund, Box 124, S-221 00 Lund, Sweden.
Nilsson
B
B
Persson
I
I
Tjerneld
F
F