<Original>Enzymatic Saccharification of Woody Plants : II. Synergistic Effects on Enzymatic Saccharification

Abstract

Four different lignocellulosic materials including a softwood (AKAMATSU, Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.), a hardwood (BUNA, Fagus crenata Blume), a gramineous plant (bamboo, Phyllostachis edulis A. & Ribiere) and an agricultural waste (rice straw) were subjected to ball-milling and microwave heating pretreatments, and enzymatically saccharified using commercially available cellulases together with a cellulase preparation extracted from worker termites of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Since the use of termite cellulase brought about only a lower yield of reducing sugar in saccharification owing to its significantly low cellulolytic activity. However, synergistic effects induced by using mixed enzyme preparations occurred to result in a good yield of reducing sugars. Similar synergistic effects were also shown to occur in enzymatic saccharification of organosolve-delignified pulps of a softwood (AKAEZOMATSU, Picea glehnii Mast.) and a hardwood (MIZUNARA, Quercus mongolica Fish. var. grosseserrata Rehd. et Wils.). Present results suggest that the synergistic effects could widely be applicable to enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic materials.