ENZYME COMPOSITIONS FOR THE IMPROVED ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS OF CELLULOSE AND METHODS OF USING SAME

摘要

A process for the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to produce a hydrolysis product comprising glucose from a pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock and enzymes for use in the process are provided. The process comprises hydrolyzing an aqueous slurry of a pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock with cellulase enzymes, one or more than one &bgr;-glucosidase enzyme and a binding agent for binding the &bgr;-glucosidase enzyme to fiber solids present in the aqueous slurry. During the hydrolysis, both the cellulase enzyme and &bgr;-glucosidase enzyme bind to the fiber solids. The hydrolysis is performed in a solids-retaining hydrolysis reactor so that unhydrolyzed fiber solids and bound enzyme are retained in the reactor longer than the aqueous phase of the slurry.