Treatment of Cellulosic Material and Enzymes Useful Therein

Abstract

The present invention relates to the production of sugar hydrolysates from cellulosic material. The method may be used e.g. for producing fermentable sugars for the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic material. Cellulolytic enzymes and their production by recombinant technology is described, as well as uses of the enzymes and enzyme preparations.

1 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . An enzyme preparation comprising a polypeptide having cellulolytic activity and having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO:22. 
     
     
         18 . The enzyme preparation of  claim 17  comprising a polypeptide having cellulolytic activity and having at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:22. 
     
     
         19 . The enzyme preparation of  claim 17 , which is in the form of spent culture medium, or in which contains the polypeptide in partially purified form. 
     
     
         20 . The enzyme preparation of  claim 17 , which comprises cellobiohydrolase, endoglucanase, beta-glucosidase, and optionally xylanase activity and/or other enzyme activities. 
     
     
         21 . The enzyme preparation of  claim 20 , which further comprises conventional additives. 
     
     
         22 . The enzyme preparation according to  claim 17 , further comprising a cellobiohydrolase comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6 or 8, or to an enzymatically active fragment thereof, and an endoglucanase comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 10, 12, 14 or 16, or to an enzymatically ac-tive fragment thereof, and optionally a xylanase comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 18 or 20, or to an enzymatically active fragment thereof. 
     
     
         23 . A method of using the enzyme preparation according to  claim 17  in fuel, textile, detergent, pulp and paper, food, feed or beverage industry, or in preparing sophorose. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the enzyme preparation is used in treatment of kraft pulp, mechanical pulp, or recycled paper. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the enzyme preparation is spent culture medium. 
     
     
         26 . A method of treating cellulosic material with the enzyme preparation of  claim 17 , said method comprising reacting the cellulosic material with the enzyme preparation to produce fermentable sugar hydrolysates. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the cellulosic material is hydrolyzed for the production of biofuel comprising ethanol. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26  comprising treating a starch hydrosylate with the enzyme preparation of claim  1  to produce sophorose. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the cellulosic material comprises cellulose, hemicellulose or lignocellulose. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the cellulosic material comprises wood, herbaceous crops, agricultural residues, pulp and paper residues, waste paper, food waste, feed waste, a textile, cotton, linen, hemp, jute, modal, viscose, or lyocel. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the fermentable sugar is a sugar hydrolysate. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the fermentable sugar is glucose. 
     
     
         33 . A method of treating cellulosic material with a spent culture medium of at least one microorganism capable of producing an enzyme preparation of  claim 17 , wherein the polypeptide is in the form of spent culture medium or filtrate and wherein the enzyme preparation further contains additives, said method comprising reacting the cellulosic material with the spent culture medium to obtain hydrolysed cellulosic material. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the cellulosic material is hydrolyzed for the production of biofuel comprising ethanol.