Saccharification of paper products by cellulase from Penicillium funiculosum and Trichoderma reesei

Used paper products contribute largely towards organic-based waste produced and dumped by the world population. Cellulose, a structural component of paper materials, can be hydrolysed into glucose by a multi-component enzyme system called cellulase. Cellulase from Penicillium funiculosum and Trichoderma reesei were applied in the saccharification of paper products such as foolscap paper, filter paper, newspaper and office paper as well as microcrystalline cellulose. Foolscap paper showed the strongest susceptibility towards enzymatic hydrolysis with both enzymes. With an enzyme concentration of 10.0 mg/mL for each cellulase system the strongest synergistic action was observed at a combination of 1:1 (m/m) during saccharification of all cellulose materials. The individual enzyme performance as well as their synergistic actions showed different rates of hydrolysis during degradation of the investigated cellulose substrates.