Conversion of biomass to biofuels and other products is a research area that is currently attracting a great amount of interest, particularly because such production may be envisaged as a key part of any bio-based economy. Lignocellulosic biomass is abundant and sustainable, and can therefore potentially support large-scale production of biofuel as an alternative to petroleum-based fuel.

The enzymatic hydrolysability of three industrial pulps, five lab made pulps, and one microcrystalline cellulose powder was assessed using commercial cellulolytic enzymes. To gain insight into the factors that influence the hydrolysability, a thorough characterization of the samples was done, including their chemical properties (cellulose content, hemicellulose content, lignin content, and kappa number), their macromolecular properties (peak molar mass, number-average molar mass, weight-average molar mass, polydispersity, and limiting viscosity) and their supramolecular properties (fibre saturation point, specific surface area, average pore size, and crystallinity). The hydrolysability was assessed by determination of initial conversion rate and final conversion yield, with conversion yield defined as the amount of glucose in solution per unit of glucose in the substrate. Multivariate data analysis revealed that for the investigated samples the conversion of cellulose to glucose was mainly dependent on the supramolecular properties, such as specific surface area and average pore size. The molar mass distribution, the crystallinity, and the lignin content of the pulps had no significant effect on the hydrolysability of the investigated samples.

In addition, experiments were carried out aiming at identifying suitable conditions for pre-treatment of wheat straw, for the purpose of making cellulose rich pulps with improved enzymatic reactivity. Two sets of conditions for pre-treatment of wheat straw were identified; a combination of low temperature alkaline washing and acid pre-hydrolysis, or high temperature acid pre-hydrolysis. Both bleached wheat straw pulps showed similar enzymatic reactivity. However, the enzymatic reactivity of both bleached wheat straw pulps was found to be significantly less than what has been achieved for wood pulps. A probable explanation for the low enzymatic reactivity of the bleached wheat straw pulp can be the small pore size, limiting the access for enzymes to the cellulose surfaces in the fibre wall interior.Text, figures and tables in an extended abstract (< 4 pages with title and references).