3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effect of cellulase treatment conditions
Enzymatic hydrolysis is a very complex system with multiple
factors generating heterogeneity in the system. The concentration
of cellulase solution is a factor that determines the rate of enzymatic
hydrolysis of fibers. The effects of the variable on cellulase are
presented in Fig. 1. As the enzyme concentration increased, the
weight loss of samples increased and TS decreased. These trends
may be due to complexation of the cellulase with the fiber surface
at an early stage of hydrocellulose hydrolysis (Shen et al., 2004).
The available surface area of the fibers was limited, so when the
concentration of cellulase bath reached 15 g/L, the rate of weight
loss stopped increasing and the TS dropped to a minimum value.
When the concentration of cellulase increased to 15 g/L, the activity
of acidic cellulase reached a plateau.
The temperature is a very important factor in enzymatic hydrolysis,
as it affects the degradation mechanism of cellulose and
thus determines the finishing effects on the fabric. The activity of
enzyme may be influenced by the bath temperature. Plots of the
weight loss and TS during cellulase treatment are depicted in