Simultaneous SAXS/WAXS scanning imaging of maize stem tissues to understand enzyme hydrolysis reactivity

Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising resource for second-generation biofuels but its complex structure presents challenges to efficient enzymatic hydrolysis. Characterizing in wet-state, porosity and cellulose fibril organization at the nanoscale is essential to understanding lignocellulose biochemical transformation, as it influences enzyme diffusion before cellulose conversion into glucose. This study focuses on different maize stem genotypes subjected to various hydric stress and hydrothermal pretreatments. SAXS/WAXS imaging on water-dipped slices will reveal local porosity, inter-nanofibril distances and cellulose crystallinity in different tissues, depending on growth and treatment conditions. Coupled with PFG-NMR or FRAP diffusion analyses, these X-ray maps will highlight the influence of nanostructural variations on the enzyme diffusion. Cartographies obtained at different hydrolysis time will be innovative tools to observe structural transformations induced by enzyme action.