Small-angle scattering study of structural changes in the microfibril network of nanocellulose during enzymatic hydrolysis

Paavo A. Penttilä, Anikó Várnai, Manuel Fernández, Inkeri Kontro, Ville Liljeström, Peter Lindner, Matti Siika-aho, Liisa Viikari, Ritva Serimaa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The hydrolysis of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), consisting of individual cellulose fibrils, was followed using small-angle scattering techniques in order to reveal changes in the substrate structure caused by cellulose degrading enzymes. In particular, the nanoscale structure of the network of cellulose fibrils was characterized with the combination of small-angle neutron scattering and small-angle x-ray scattering. In the nanocellulose with higher xylan content, the interfibrillar distance was shown to remain unchanged during enzymatic degradation, whereas the distance increased in the nanocellulose with lower xylan content. The limiting effect of xylan on the hydrolysis and a faster hydrolysis of the more thoroughly fibrillated segments of the NFC network could be observed. Despite the extensive fibrillation of the raw material, however, the hydrolysis was eventually limited by the aggregated and heterogeneous structure of the substrate.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1031-1040
Number of pages10
JournalCellulose
Volume20
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2013
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • Bioethanol
  • Cellulose
  • Enzymatic hydrolysis
  • Hemicellulose
  • SANS
  • SAXS

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