Process Optimization for Biosoftening of Lignocellulosic Fiber with White Rot Fungi and Specific Enzymatic Systems

Abstract

Jute is a strong, stiff, natural fiber. Jute fibers are aggregates of single cells consisting of α-cellulose, which are cemented by lignin and hemicellulose. Lignin is responsible for the dark color, branching patterns, and harshness. The spinnability of the fiber is greatly reduced because of poor elongation and high flexural rigidity. This research investigated the effect of using white rot fungi (namely, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Ceriporiopsis subvermispora), cellulase enzyme, and a mixture of enzymes (cellulase, xylanases, and pectinases) under specific treatment conditions on the physical characteristics of jute fibers. The physical characteristics such as tenacity, elongation to break, flexural rigidity, and structural analysis using scanning electron microscopy were studied. The results show that these fungi and enzymes are able to degrade the lignin effectively, culminating in the reduction of flexural rigidity and tenacity and improvement in elongation percentage of the fiber. Scanning electron microscopy reveals the degradation of the jute fiber at the surface level and also reveals the removal of the gummy substances present on the surface. The prediction of the desired quality of the enzymatic systems, both cellulase and mixed enzyme systems, using artificial neural network was reported. The results obtained from the network give an average training error of around 1% in the prediction of the process parameters for achieving the desired physical properties of the jute fibers.