Efficient cellulase production from low-cost substrates by Trichoderma reesei and its application on the enzymatic hydrolysis of corncob

In this work, cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei CH11 using different low-cost raw materials as carbon sources and its application on the enzymatic hydrolysis of corncob were systematically investigated. Among all the studied carbon sources, rice straw was the most suitable one for T. reesei to produce cellulolytic enzymes. In addition, adding wheat bran and ammonium sulfate improved the cellulase activity and reduced the production cost. T. reesei was cultivated at 28°C and 160 rpm for five days to generate the liquid enzyme for hydrolysis. The enzyme activity of FPase reached 2.40 IU/mL, which was improved about 21% compared with that obtained from original culture medium without wheat bran or ammonium sulfate. Pretreated corncob was then hydrolyzed by this crude enzyme. After optimization of solid-to-liquid ratio and dilution rate of crude enzyme, 95.7% of hydrolysis yield was obtained. This work could offer one promising low-cost platform for bio-refinery.   Key words: Trichoderma reesei, cellulase, low-cost substrate, corncob, enzymatic hydrolysis.