How Resilient is Wood Xylan to Enzymatic Degradation in a Matrix with Kraft Lignin?
Journal article, 2024

Despite the potential of lignocellulose in manufacturing value-added chemicals and biofuels, its efficient biotechnological conversion by enzymatic hydrolysis still poses major challenges. The complex interplay between xylan, cellulose, and lignin in fibrous materials makes it difficult to assess underlying physico- and biochemical mechanisms. Here, we reduce the complexity of the system by creating matrices of cellulose, xylan, and lignin, which consists of a cellulose base layer and xylan/lignin domains. We follow enzymatic degradation using an endoxylanase by high-speed atomic force microscopy and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy to obtain morphological and kinetic data. Fastest reaction kinetics were observed at low lignin contents, which were related to the different swelling capacities of xylan. We demonstrate that the complex processes taking place at the interfaces of lignin and xylan in the presence of enzymes can be monitored in real time, providing a future platform for observing phenomena relevant to fiber-based systems.

Author

Jana B. Schaubeder

Technische Universität Graz

Christian Ganser

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Tiina Nypelö

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Aalto University

Takayuki Uchihashi

Nagoya University

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Stefan Spirk

Technische Universität Graz

Biomacromolecules

1525-7797 (ISSN) 1526-4602 (eISSN)

Vol. 25 6 3532-3541

Upgrading of cellulose fibers into porous materials.Acronym: BreadCell

European Commission (EC) (EC/H2020/964430), 2021-04-01 -- 2025-03-31.

Subject Categories

Wood Science

Paper, Pulp and Fiber Technology

Polymer Technologies

Plant Biotechnology

DOI

10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00185

PubMed

38750618

More information

Latest update

7/3/2024 9