Improved enzymatic hydrolysis of waste paper by ozone pretreatment

Waste paper samples made from newsprint, copier paper, and magazine paper, as well as samples of kraft pulp and thermomechanical pulp, were pretreated with ozone to improve enzymatic hydrolysis. The ozone treatment of pulps of newsprint and of magazine paper increased the specific surface areas and total pore volumes while decreasing the lignin content so that these values became similar to those of thermomechanical pulps. These morphological and chemical changes in the pulps resulted in the increased access of cellulase to the pulp fiber surface and increased enzymatic hydrolysis. For copier paper, in which the lignin content was very low, additives on the pulp fiber surface were oxidized and removed by ozone treatment and extraction, and this allowed improved enzymatic hydrolysis. In contrast, surface areas and total pore volumes of kraft pulp and bleached kraft pulp were decreased by the ozone treatment, resulting in morphological changes in the pulps that decreased enzymatic hydrolysis.