Biomass recalcitrance has been recognized as one of the major barriers that hided the cost-effective conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol, therefore the current bioconversion process require an essential step known as pretreatment to increase the cellulose accessibility. This thesis provides information about changes in cellulose accessibility upon different pretreatments, along with how these pretreatments alter the chemical and physical structures of biomass, will be extremely helpful to further optimize the current pretreatment process. Multiple promising analytical techniques including Simons’ stain, NMR cryoporometry, relaxometry, mercury porosimetry was introduced and successfully applied on pretreated biomass samples to characterize the cellulose accessible surface area and biomass porosity. Different pretreatments increase cellulose accessibility through different mechanisms to different extent. Dilute acid pretreatment is more effective than steam explosion in terms of increasing accessible surface area of cellulose as reflected by Simons’ stain and NMR cryoporometry, while NMR relaxometry suggested steam explosion is more effective at pore expansion for the cell wall water pools detected by changes in NMR relaxation time. Alkaline pretreatment decreased cellulose degree of polymerization, cellulose crystallinity, lignin content and subsequently increased cellulose accessibility, with sodium hydroxide pretreatment proved to be much more effective compared lime or soaking in ammonia pretreatment. Delignification through alkaline-based pretreatment is found less effective than removal of hemicellulose using acid in terms of cellulose accessibility increase. Lignin didn’t directly dictate cellulose accessibility but rather restricted xylan accessibility which in turn controls the access of cellulase to cellulose. Pore size distribution analysis based on mercury porosimetry also indicated that the most fundamental barrier in terms of biomass porosity scale for efficient enzymatic hydrolysis is the nano-pore space formed between coated microfibrils, despite some of the porous architecture such as cell lumen and pit could be severely destroyed after pretreatment. The action of cellulase on the characteristics of cellulosic fractions obtained from pretreated biomass was also investigated. Cellulose accessibility was found to increase at the beginning of hydrolysis, and after reaching a maximum value then starting to decrease. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in a rapid decrease in the cellulose degree of polymerization then gradually leveled off, suggesting the existence of a synergistic action of endo- and exo-glucanases that contribute to the occurrence of a peeling off type mechanism.

Trä är den bästa förnyelsebara källan för att producera många produkter på grund av dess biokompatibla och biologiskt nedbrytbara natur. Träets biomassa har en motstridig natur mot enzymatisk uppgradering. Det beror på olika orsaker som ligninhalt, acetylhalt i hemicellulosa och cellulosakristallinitet som blockerar enzymets bindningsställe. Denna studie kommer under BioUPGRADE, som är en samarbetsplattform för att skapa högvärdiga och mångsidiga material på ett hållbart sätt med hjälp av biokatalys. Det allmänna syftet med denna studie är att producera holocellulosa och hemicellulosasubstrat från olika träslag och producera, rena och validera galaktosoxidas som en potentiell biokatalysator för träfibermodifiering. Studien undersöker effekten av kemisk perättiksyradelignifiering på två träslag, lövträ av eukalyptus (HW), och barrträ av gran (SW), undersökta vid olika tidsintervall, där PAA framställdes exsitu med ett volymetriskt förhållande på 1:3. Med resultaten från PAA-behandlingen avlägsnades 38,53 % lignin i eukalyptus och 31,80 % i barrved. Hemicellulosautbytet ökade med 47,40 % för eukalyptus och 19,05 % för gran med en ökning av tiden för PAA-behandling. Acetylhalten i hemicellulosan minskade från 2 % till 0,6 % i lövträ och 1,96 % till 0,6 % i barrträ. Cellulosautvinningen efter delignifieringen var nästan 100 %. Galaktosoxidaset producerades i en skakkolv med användning av Pichia pastoris KM71H-stammen. Pichia pastoris KM71H-celler odlades med användning av det buffrade komplexa glycerolmediet (BMGY) och galaktosoxidas uttrycktes med användning av Pichia pastoris KM71H-stammen i buffrat komplex metanolmedium (BMMY). Det uttryckta GaOx-proteinet renades därefter med användning av AKTA-kromatografi med användning av en 5 ml Histrap FF-kolonn. För att bestämma proteinkoncentrationen utfördes bicinchoninsyra (BCA) analys och GaOx som producerades i skakkolvsodling var 286,25 mg/L. Den specifika aktiviteten hos skakkolven som produceras GaOx är 164,24 U/mg. Det kan observeras att PAA-behandling visar sig vara en effektiv metod för delignifiering eftersom cellulosautvinningen är nära 100 % och förlusten av hemicellulosa är relativt låg med det använda volymetriska förhållandet. GaOx som produceras i skakkolvsproduktion visar ett lovande utbyte med en betydande specifik aktivitet mot galaktosen som substrat och kan användas i framtiden för enzymatisk uppgradering av träets biomassa. / Wood is the best renewable source for producing many products due to its biocompatible and biodegradable nature. The wood biomass has a recalcitrance nature towards enzymatic upgrading. It is due to various reasons such as lignin content, acetyl content in hemicellulose, and cellulose crystallinity which blocks the enzyme binding site. This study comes under BioUPGRADE, which is a collaborative platform to create high-value and multipurpose materials sustainably using biocatalysis. The general aim of this study is to produce holocellulose and hemicellulose substrates from different wood species and produce, purify, and validate galactose oxidase as a potential biocatalyst for wood fiber modification. The study investigates the effect of chemical peracetic acid delignification on two wood species, eucalyptus hardwood (HW), and spruce softwood (SW) investigated at different time intervals, where the PAA was prepared ex-situ with a volumetric ratio of 1:3. With the results from the PAA treatment, 38.53% of lignin was removed in eucalyptus and 31.80% in softwood. The hemicellulose yield increased by 47.40% for eucalyptus and 19.05% for spruce with an increase in the time of PAA treatment. The acetyl content of the hemicellulose was reduced from 2% to 0.6% in hardwood and 1.96% to 0.6% in softwood. The cellulose recovery after the delignification was nearly 100%. The galactose oxidase was produced in a shake flask using the Pichia pastoris KM71H strain. Pichia pastoris KM71H cells were cultivated using the buffered complex glycerol media (BMGY) and galactose oxidase was expressed using the Pichia pastoris KM71H strain in Buffered complex methanol media (BMMY). The expressed GaOx protein was subsequently purified using AKTA chromatography using a 5ml Histrap FF column. To determine the protein concentration Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) analysis was performed and the GaOx produced in shake flask cultivation was 286.25 mg/L. The specific activity of the shake flask produced GaOx is 164.24 U/mg. It can be observed that PAA treatment proves to be an efficient method for delignification as the cellulose recovery is near 100% and the loss of hemicellulose is relatively low with the volumetric ratio used. The GaOx produced in shake flask production shows a promising yield with a significant specific activity towards the galactose as substrate and could be used in the future for the enzymatic upgrading of the wood biomass.