A modified cellulose, method for preparing the same and use thereof. The structural formulas of the modified cellulose are shown in Formula (I), Formula (II) or Formula (III):

##STR00001## wherein, n is 2-7; the modified cellulose is obtained by substitution. The cellulose is substituted and modified with long-chain compounds containing amino terminal groups, so that the modified cellulose has space formed by long chains and amino terminal groups, which can be used as a matrix in solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPOT), to increase reaction activity and reaction space, reduce the difficulty of peptide synthesis, realize SPOT well, be suitable for synthesis in an automatic synthesizer, have high yield, and have low cost.

In alternative embodiments, provided are methods and industrial processes for generating pulp from lignocellulosic feedstocks, comprising directly contacting a lignocellulosic feedstock with a system comprising a super critical or sub-super critical fluid or mixture of fluids, whereby the partial pressure of the system provides for the hydrolysis or a combination thereof of the feedstock at reduced temperatures and pressures, followed by an upgrading step wherein a low-purity cellulosic material generated in the super critical or sub-super critical reaction step is treated with an alkaline solution. In alternative embodiments, provided are systems and methods for producing a cellulose material using reduced amounts of water.

Cellulose derivative particles including an alkoxy group having 2 or more carbons or an acyl group having 3 or more carbons, wherein the cellulose derivative particles have an average particle size of 80 nm or greater and 100 m or less, a sphericity of 70% or greater and 100% or less, and a surface smoothness of 80% or greater and 100% or less; and a total substitution degree of the cellulose derivative is 0.7 or greater and 3 or less.

The present invention relates to a hetero-transglycosylase protein having cellulose:xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (CXE) activity in addition to mixed-linkage beta-glucan:xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (MXE) activity. The protein may comprise the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 2, 6 and 8 or a functional fragment thereof; or an amino acid sequence having at least 60% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NO: 2, 6 and 8, or to SEQ ID NO: 2 from amino acid 22 to 280, to SEQ ID NO: 6 from amino acid 26 to 283, or to SEQ ID NO: 8 from amino acid 29 to 287. The invention furthermore relates to an isolated nucleic acid encoding the protein described herein, a chimeric gene comprising, inter alia, the nucleic acid described herein, a vector comprising said chimeric gene, a host cell comprising said vector or said chimeric gene and an according transgenic plant. Further disclosed herein in are a method of producing a transgenic plant and a method of improving properties of cellulosic material.

The present invention relates to a hetero-transglycosylase protein having cellulose:xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (CXE) activity in addition to mixed-linkage beta-glucan:xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (MXE) activity. The protein may comprise the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 2, 6 and 8 or a functional fragment thereof; or an amino acid sequence having at least 60% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NO: 2, 6 and 8, or to SEQ ID NO: 2 from amino acid 22 to 280, to SEQ ID NO: 6 from amino acid 26 to 283, or to SEQ ID NO: 8 from amino acid 29 to 287. The invention furthermore relates to an isolated nucleic acid encoding the protein described herein, a chimeric gene comprising, inter alia, the nucleic acid described herein, a vector comprising said chimeric gene, a host cell comprising said vector or said chimeric gene and an according transgenic plant. Further disclosed herein in are a method of producing a transgenic plant and a method of improving properties of cellulosic material.

Provided are dried cellulose fibers that are satisfactory dispersible in a resin when the cellulose fibers are mixed with the resin and can improve physical properties such as tensile elastic modulus and tensile strength of a resin composite, a cellulose fiber-resin composite including the cellulose fibers, and a molded article. The dried cellulose fibers include cellulose fibers, the cellulose fiber-resin composite includes the dried cellulose fibers, and the molded article is formed from the cellulose fiber-resin composite. The cellulose fibers have an average fiber diameter of 0.1 m more and 20 m or less and have a hemicellulose content of 50% or less in constituent sugar components. The dried cellulose fibers have a water content of 10% by mass or less.

Provided are dried cellulose fibers that are satisfactory dispersible in a resin when the cellulose fibers are mixed with the resin and can improve physical properties such as tensile elastic modulus and tensile strength of a resin composite, a cellulose fiber-resin composite including the cellulose fibers, and a molded article. The dried cellulose fibers include cellulose fibers, the cellulose fiber-resin composite includes the dried cellulose fibers, and the molded article is formed from the cellulose fiber-resin composite. The cellulose fibers have an average fiber diameter of 0.1 m more and 20 m or less and have a hemicellulose content of 50% or less in constituent sugar components. The dried cellulose fibers have a water content of 10% by mass or less.

The present invention provides an ionic liquid represented by the following chemical formula (I):

[(CH.sub.3).sub.3N(CH.sub.2).sub.2(OH].sup.+[NH.sub.2LCOO].sup.

where L is (CH.sub.2).sub.2 or (CH.sub.2).sub.3. (I)

The present invention also provides an ionic liquid composition containing an ionic liquid; and water. The ionic liquid is represented by the above chemical formula (I). A molar ratio of [(CH.sub.3).sub.3N(CH.sub.2).sub.2OH].sup.+ to [NH.sub.2LCOO].sup. is not less than 0.86 and not more than 1.12. A weight ratio of the water to the ionic liquid composition is not more than 4.7%. The present invention provides an ionic liquid capable of dissolving cellulose without an cellulose-degrading enzyme (namely, an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing cellulose).

The present invention relates to a process for treating textile-based materials, typically textile-based waste-materials, to prepare them for further use. The treatment includes two or more chemical and/or enzymatic treatment steps, including at least one alkaline treatment step, all intended to cause at least a partial dissolution of the textile-based material. Particularly, the process is used for the treatment of cotton-based waste materials.

A process for the manufacture of butanol, acetone and/or other renewable chemicals is provided wherein the process utilises one or more of the group comprising by-products of the manufacture of malt whisky, such as draff, pot ale and/or spent lees, biomass substrates, such as paper, sludge from paper manufacture and spent grains from distillers and brewers, and diluents, such as water and spent liquid from other fermentations. The process comprises treating a substrate to hydrolyse it and fermenting the treated substrate at an initial pH in the range of 5.0 to 6.0. Also provided is a biofuel comprising butanol manufactured according to the process of the invention.