The research of cost-efficient lignin-based adsorbents is a practical strategy for the recovery of cellulase. In this study, alkali lignin was modified to increase the phenolic hydroxyl (Ph-OH) content for cellulase adsorption applications. After phenolation, compared with the lignin reference, the maximum adsorption cellulase capacity of lignoresorcinol (LigR) and lignopyrogallol (LigP) was improved from 76.5 mg/g to 842.1 mg/g and 911.4 mg/g, respectively. The enzyme activity of the adsorbed cellulase on LigR was higher than that on LigP, which could migrate to the fresh substrates during enzymatic hydrolysis. The adsorbed cellulase could be easily recovered from two lignin-based adsorbents by adjusting pH. The distinct cellulase adsorption behavior of two lignin-based adsorbents was closely related to the high Ph-OH contents and low S/G ratio in phenolated lignin samples characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HSQC-NMR).
Keywords: Adsorption; Cellulase; Enzymatic hydrolysis; HSQC-NMR; Lignin; Phenolation.
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