Juliana R.F. Silva

Addendum to issue 1 - ENZITEC 2012Influence of ultrasound and compressed liquefied petroleum gas on xylanase activity

Abstract Xylanase treated with ultrasound showed activities about two times higher than those obtained in its absence for temperatures ranging from 39 to 47°C. In the absence of ultrasound the enzyme activity was about 4–10 times higher compared with the activities determined in the presence of ultrasound for temperatures higher than 56°C. Treatment with compressed LPG led to an increase of about 250% in the enzyme activity for a system pressure of 30 bar, 50°C and 1 h of exposure. On the other hand, it was shown that enzyme treatment combining compressed LPG and ultrasound did not improve xylanase activity under any experimental conditions tested. These results obtained here are promising for industrial application in the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose for the production of fuels and chemicals, since rapid treatment of xylanase with compressed LPG or ultrasound is a novel procedure which provided a significant increase in activity.