ENZYMATIC-HYDROLYSIS OF CELLULOSE IN A SI MPLE COACERVATION SYSTEM

The separation of inhibitory products from the reaction system is effe ctive in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Partitioning of cellul ase, cellobiose and glucose between coacervate and equilibrium phases was studied with the object of applying the gelatin-Na2SO4-water simpl e coacervation system to an extractive reaction. Cellulase was concent rated into the coacervate phase, but cellobiose and glucose were evenl y partitioned. Semibatch hydrolysis of cellulose in the coacervation s ystem was carried out in a stirred vessel. Intermittent removing of pr oducts in the equilibrium phase made it possible to achieve high conve rsion. The simulation of semibatch reaction based on the kinetic const ants obtained from the time course of batch reaction and the partition coefficients obtained froin the partitioning experiments showed that the loss of enzyme was sparse. The coacervation system is better than the PEG-Dextran system with respects to the price of phase-forming mat erials, the time to separate two phases and the temperature suitable f or both phase formation and reaction.