Index >> Waste Water Microbiology >>Applications of Waste Treatment Saccharification

The hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose and simple oligosaccharides will become a dominant economic factor. Cellulosic by-products will find increased utilisation as raw materials for the production of simple aliphatic chemicals through chemical engineering and biological processes. Looking far into the future we can see that cellulose, the most abundant of all photosynthetic products, will become one of great value. Cellulosic residues considered as a chemical raw material are a source of hexose and pentose sugars. The major portion the hexoses, are equivalent to sugar from common sources. The pentoses, on the other hand, are unique, as they may be processed to furfural, a chemical which has not been produced from other sources. The pentosans in corncobs and bagasse are now the main source of furfural. The pentosan content of wood, however, is too low for an economic venture supported by this single product.

The main polysaccharide in all woody-plant materials is cellulose. This cellulose is chemically and physically similar to cotton in that it is fibrous, has a high resistance to alkali, and is hydrolysed only with much difficulty to yield glucose.

Hemicelluloses are present in wood and other cellulosic materials to an extent of roughly one-third of the total carbohydrate. The hemicellulose is amorphous and because of its lack of crystalline organisation, it hydrolyses much more easily than does cellulose.