The mechanism of poly(ethylene glycol) 4000 effect on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose

► Different addition sequences of PEG 4000 were adopted to investigate the mechanism of PEG 4000 affected on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose. ► Compared the adsorption capacity of substrates with different addition sequence of PEG 4000, PEG 4000 was proven to reduce the unproductive adsorption not only on lignin but also on cellulose. ► Cellulase deactivation induced by cellulose was confirmed by decrease of enzymatic activity of cellulase desorbed by PEG 4000. ► Removal of amorphous cellulose promoted by PEG 4000 was confirmed by increase of crystallinity index of substrates treated by PEG 4000.