Cellulases and Their Role in Bioethanol Production: A Review

Ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass is an expensive process because of the high cost and low yield of hydrolysis process and cellulase enzyme that used for hydrolysis. Considerable reduction in the cost of ethanol production can be achieved by the use of cheaper raw materials and cost effective fermentation strategies like solid state fermentation. The hydrolysis of cellulose in lignocellulosic materials is affected by porosity (accessible surface area), crystallinity, and lignin and hemicellulose content. The four key enzymes responsible for the degradation of cellulose are endoglucanase, exoglucanase, â-glucosidase and polysaccharide monooxygenase. Optimization of different parameters associated with cellulase enzymes and the enzyme loading may also add the improvement in hydrolysis.