Simultaneous glucose production from cellulose and fouling reduction using a magnetic responsive membrane reactor with superparamagnetic nanoparticles carrying cellulolytic enzymes.

This work aimed at investigating simultaneous hydrolysis of cellulose and in-situ foulant degradation in a cellulose fed superparamagnetic biocatalytic membrane reactor (BMR). In this reactor, a dynamic layer of superparamagnetic bionanocomposites with immobilized cellulolytic enzymes were reversibly immobilized on superparamagnetic polymeric membrane using an external magnetic field. The formation of a dynamic layer of bionanocomposites on the membrane helped to prevent direct membrane-foulant interaction.