Necessity of enzymatic hydrolysis for production and functionalization of nanocelluloses

Nanocellulose (NC) from cellulosic biomass has recently gained attention owing to their biodegradable nature, low density, high mechanical properties, economic value and renewability. They still suffer, however, some drawbacks. The challenges are the exploration of raw materials, scaling, recovery of chemicals utilized for the production or functionalization and most important is toxic behavior that hinders them from implementing in medical/pharmaceutical field. This review emphasizes the structural behavior of cellulosic biomass and biological barriers for enzyme interactions, which are pertinent to understand the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose for the production of NCs. Additionally, the enzymatic catalysis for the modification of solid and NC is discussed. The utility of various classes of enzymes for introducing desired functional groups on the surface of NC has been further examined. Thereafter, a green mechanistic approach is applied for understanding at molecular level.