(812f) Enzymatic Saccharification of Fines Rejects in Recycled Linerboard Papermills

The waste rejects stream from the recycled paper mills manufacturing linerboard contains significant quantities of short fibers and fine particles composed primarily of cellulose. Since they impose a significant BOD if sent into the wastewater, they are currently being screened, dewatered in a screw press and sent to landfills. However, this stream can represent a valuable resource for producing fermentable sugars if it can be saccharified in an economical fashion.

In the present communication, we show the results of hydrolysis of these waste fines obtained from a paper mill in New York state. Fines were hydrolyzed using both dilute acid and enzymatic methods. It was found that the enzymatic process showed superior yields and selectivity. Enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated with respect to pH, temperature, enzyme dosage, fines composition (including inorganic filler materials of two types: calcium carbonate and kaolin). A non-ionic surfactant was applied to shield the filler surfaces from enzyme adsorption serving to increase the enzyme action intensity. Predictive models for the enzyme hydrolysis were developed based on statistical analysis (RSM/DOE).