Effective concentration of ionic liquids for enhanced saccharification of cellulose

In an aqueous enzymatic saccharification using cellulase, the dissolution of crystalline cellulose is one of the rate-limiting steps. Insoluble cellulose powder was preliminarily heat-treated with ionic liquids (ILs), such as [Bmim][Cl] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) and [Amim][Cl] (1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride), which enable the production of soluble cellulose. On the other hand, the presence of ILs leads to a denaturation of enzymes. Using cellulase from Trichoderma viride, the effects of [Bmim][Cl] and [Amim][Cl] in the enzymatic saccharification were compared. The production of glucose was optimized with 5 wt%-ILs, both for [Bmim][Cl] and for [Amim][Cl]. The significant inhibiting effects of ILs (IL concentration >10 wt%) could be due to the denaturation of cellulase, because the peak shifts of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence were observed in the presence of 7.5 wt%-ILs. To analyze kinetic parameters, the Langmuir adsorption model and the Michaelis-Menten model were employed. The investigation suggests that [Amim][Cl] can provide soluble cellulose more efficiently, and can promote enzymatic saccharification in the IL concentration below 5 wt%.