Effect of surfactants on enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic fabric

The effect(s) of four different types of surfactants on the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic fabric was studied. Amount of reducing sugar produced during the reaction was used as a measure of extent of the hydrolysis. The non-ionic surfactant increased the rate of the reaction by approximately 12% while in the presence of amphoteric, anionic and cationic surfactants the rate of the hydrolysis decreased by 36, 38, and 50%, respectively. The physical properties, such as tensile strength and crease recovery (angle) of the cellulosic fabrics were measured. In the presence of non-ionic surfactant, the tensile strength loss for cellulase treated fabric was increased by 17%. The loss of tensile strength did not change using cationic surfactant while in the presence of amphoteric and anionic surfactants, the strength loss decreased rather insignificantly. All the results obtained from measuring the physical properties of the enzymatic treatment of the cellulosic fabric were in agreement with those from reducing sugar measurments. Moreover, the Michaelis-Menten equation, which has been used in the previous work of this group, was also used in the present study and the maximal velocity, V-max('), and the half-saturation constant, W., both were calculated. In order to measure the catalytic specificity of the cellulase on this hydrolytic reaction on the tested fabrics, the ratio of V'(max)/K'(m), was determined. The catalytic specificity for the fabrics treated with non-ionic surfactant was increased, although this ratio for the fabrics treated with amphoteric, cationic, and anionic surfactants decreased. The performance of these surfactants, in relation to this enzymatic reaction was discussed.