An Overview of Cellulase Immobilization Strategies for Biofuel Production

The use of agricultural residue as a substrate and implementation of nanomaterials for cellulase immobilization can improve the efficiency at higher temperature and will lead to reduce the cost of cellulose-assisted biofuel production. The immobilization utilizing cellulase with amino, chitosan, or polymeric functionalities enhanced stability, activity, reusability, inhibition reduction, purification, and selectivity during enzymatic hydrolysis. Covalent interaction between the substrate and the cellulose marks in greater enzymatic immobilization, which pilots to higher biofuel production. Among the various techniques available for immobilization of cellulase on activated and functionalized magnetic nanoparticles, glutaraldehyde-based covalent binding are the most efficient process for cellulase immobilization. This review provides an overview of different cellulase immobilization strategies, factors, and its kinetics for enhanced biofuel production. The expanding need for low-cost immobilized cellulase, as well as its diverse applications in a variety of industries, is propelling research in this field. Graphical abstract