(85b) Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Sludge to Glucose

Sludge disposal is an expensive proposition which involves dredging, de-watering and disposal. Biological conversion of fibrous sludge to energy serves the dual purpose of reducing sludge disposal costs and generating energy. High cost of enzymes is the main limiting factor which makes the overall process of conversion of cellulose to bio-ethanol economically infeasible. I am performing kinetic studies on degradation of cellulose in order to gain an insight to the mechanism of breakdown of cellulose via enzymes with an emphasis on fiber morphological changes. Based on understanding of the mechanism, the bottlenecks could be manipulated to enhance the hydrolysis rate. I am currently carrying out experiments to study the effect of parameters like substrate, enzyme concentration, effect of polymers, polymer concentration and lignin on the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose which is biological conversion of biomass to liquids.