Enzymatic activation of dissolving pulp with cationic polyacrylamide to enhance cellulase adsorption

Cellulase treatment is a promising technology to improve the properties of dissolving pulp in an environmental friendly way. Increasing the cellulase treatment efficiency is of practical interest. In the present study, the concept of using cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) to enhance the cellulase treatment efficiency was demonstrated. The hypothesis was that the CPAM would attribute to the increased cellulase adsorption onto cellulose fibers based on the patching/bridging mechanism. Results showed that the viscosity decrease was improved with the addition of 250 ppm of CPAM under the same conditions as those of the control. Degraded cellulose content was increased based on the alkaline solubility analysis, while alpha-cellulose content kept constant. The CPAM-assisted cellulase treatment concept may provide a practical alternative method for upgrading dissolving pulp.