Abstract
The recombinant laccase from Thermus thermophilus was applied to the biobleaching of wheat straw pulp. The best bleaching effect was when the pulp was treated with 3 U laccase g−1 dry pulp at 90°C, pH 4.5, 8% consistency for 1.5 h. Under these conditions, the pulp brightness was increased by 3.3% ISO, and the pulp kappa number was decreased by 5.6 U. Enzymatic treatment improved the bleachability of wheat straw pulp but caused no damage to the pulp fibers. The use of enzyme-treated pulp saved 25% H2O2 consumption in subsequent peroxide bleaching without decreasing the final brightness. Pulp biobleaching in the presence of 5 mM ABTS further increased the pulp brightness by 1.5% ISO. This is the first report on the application of laccase from T. thermophilus in the pulp and paper sector.
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Acknowledgments
We gratefully thank Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper (Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China) for providing pulp materials and laboratory facilities. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (30770061) and Nanjing Program of Science and Technology, China (20110101094).
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Zheng, Z., Li, H., Li, L. et al. Biobleaching of wheat straw pulp with recombinant laccase from the hyperthermophilic Thermus thermophilus . Biotechnol Lett 34, 541–547 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-011-0796-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-011-0796-0