Paper hydrolysis by cellulase from Penicillium funiculosum and Trichoderma viride

Lignocellulose material such as paper can be converted enzymatically to glucose by cellulase from different origins. Paper products exhibit different structural parameters which would demand different enzymatic treatment for efficient saccharification. Cellulases from Penicillium funiculosum and Trichoderma viride were incubated individually and synergistically with paper products as well as with microcrystalline cellulose. All cases showed foolscap paper to be the most susceptible to degradation by cellulase, followed by filter paper, newsprint and microcrystalline cellulose which exhibited the highest resistance towards cellulase action. It was also observed that each cellulose substrate required a specific cellulase combination from different origins during a synergistic attack.