A generic model for glucose production from various cellulose sources by a commercial cellulase complex

The kinetics of cellulose hydrolysis by commercially available Cellubrix were described mathematically, with Avicel and wheat straw as substrates. It was demonstrated that hydrolysis could be described by three reactions: direct glucose formation and indirect glucose formation via cellobiose. Hydrolysis did not involve any soluble oligomers apart from low amounts of cellobiose. Phenomena included in the mathematical model were substrate limitation, adsorption of enzyme onto substrate, glucose inhibition, temperature dependency of reaction rates, and thermal enzyme inactivation. In addition, substrate heterogeneity was described by a recalcitrance constant. Model parameters refer to both enzyme characteristics and substrate-specific characteristics. Quantitative model development was carried out on the basis of Avicel hydrolysis. In order to describe wheat straw hydrolysis, wheat straw specific parameter values were measured. Updating the pertinent parameters for wheat straw yielded a satisfactory description of wheat straw hydrolysis, thus underlining the generic potential of the model.