ROLE OF SURFACE-CHARGE AND SWELLING ON THE ACTION OF XYLANASES ON BIRCH KRAFT PULP

The swelling and the surface charge of birch kraft pulps affected the hydrolysis of pulp xylan with Trichoderma reesei and Bacillus circulan s xylanases. The more swollen the fiber, the less it was hydrolyzed. F urthermore, the greater the negative surface charge, the less the pulp was hydrolyzed Both the swelling and the surface charge could be adju sted by suitable choice of counterions of the carboxyl groups in the p ulp, indicating that the counterions in pulp have a profound effect on the action of xylanases in the pulp matrix.