Structural changes of LODP cellulose in the original and mercerized state during enzymatic hydrolysis

The structural changes during enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose substrates were studied by SAXS, WAXS, water retention values, and degree of polymerization. LODP cellulose samples in original (cellulose I) and mercerized (cellulose II) form were hydrolyzed using a commercial cellulase preparation produced by the fungus Trichoderma reesei. The mercerization of the LODP-cellulose I powder results in a remarkable increase in degradability due to a more finely dispersed void structure with a distinct higher specific inner surface of the cellulose II. Based on the course of the degree of crystallinity, lateral and longitudinal crystallite sizes, and the DP at different stages of degradation a supermolecular mechanism of the “all or nothing” type was found for the chains in LOPD-cellulose I, whereas for cellulose II an endwise degradation of ordered regions has been concluded.