Xylanase‐ and cellulose‐aided bioprocessing of bamboo

Abstract

Conventional bamboo processing is performed with concentrated alkali. Mild treatments can be done with enzymes or microbes, with considerable environmental benefits. However, the existing commercial enzymes have limited effects on bamboo fibres. Here, we focus our study on a xylanase from Streptomyces sp. FA1, which was isolated from a bamboo retting system. We boosted the xylanase modification of bamboo fibre by means of a cellulase pretreatment. The pretreatment exposes fibre and greatly benefits xylan removal. A high‐temperature steam step was found to be better placed after cellulase treatment and before xylanase treatment. Crystallinity of bamboo slightly increased from 46 to 53% after the treatment process, which might be due to the hydrolysis and removal of hemicellulose and amorphous cellulose. The present work gives indications of the best sequence of application of cellulase and xylanase enzymes in bamboo processing.