Bleaching with lignin-oxidizing enzymes

General concern about the environmental impact of chlorine bleaching effluents has led to a trend towards elementary chlorine-free or totally chlorine free bleaching methods. Considerable interest has been focused on the use of biotechnology in pulp bleaching, as large number of microbes and the enzymes produced by them are known to be capable of preferential degradation of native lignin and complete degradation of wood. Enzymes of the hemicellulolytic type, particularly xylan-attacking enzymes xylanases are now used commercially in the mills for pulp treatment and subsequent incorporation into bleach sequences. Certain white-rot fungi can delignify Kraft pulps increasing their brightness and their responsiveness to brightening with chemicals. The fungal treatments are too slow but the enzymes produced from the fungi can also delignify pulps and these enzymatic processes are likely to be easier to optimize and apply than the fungal treatments. This article presents an overview of the developments in the application of lignin-oxidizing enzymes in bleaching of chemical pulps. The present knowledge of the mechanisms on the action of enzymes as well as the practical results and advantages obtained on the laboratory and industrial scale are discussed.