Immobilization of cellulase enzymes on nano and micro-materials for breakdown of cellulose for biofuel production-a narrative review

Cellulose isa very abundant polymer that is found in nature. Cellulose has been used as a raw material for production of biofuels for many years. However, there are multiple processing steps that are required so that cellulose can be used as a raw material for biofuel production. One of the most important steps is the breakdown of cellulose into intermediate sugars which can then be a viable substrate for biofuel production. Cellulases are enzymes which play a role in the catalysis of the breakdown of cellulose into glucose. Nanomaterials and micromaterials have been gaining a lot of attention over the past few years for its potential in immobilizing enzymes for industrial pro-cedures. Immobilization of enzymes on these nanomaterials has been observed to be of great value due to the im-provement in thermal stability, pH stability, regenerative capacity, increase in activity and the reusability of enzymes. Similarly, there have been multiple reports of cellulase enzymes being immobilized on various nanopar-ticles. The immobilization of these cellulase enzymes have resulted in very efficient processing and provide a great and economic solution for the processing of cellulose for biofuel production. Hence in this paper, we review and dis-cuss the various advantages and disadvantages of enzymes on various available nanomaterials. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Cellulose as a raw material for biofuel production requires breakdown into intermediate sugars, and immobilizing cellulase enzymes on nanomaterials has been proven to significantly enhance efficiency and provide an economic solution for the processing of cellulose.