In this study, cell walls of microalgae were hydrolyzed for the production of reducing sugar by cellulase, which was immobilized onto an electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous membrane. Since the nitrile groups of the PAN membrane were activated by the amidination reaction and covalent binding to the amino groups of the cellulase, electrospun PAN nanofibrous membranes with a high specific surface area were applied as supports for the immobilization. Under the optimal hydrolysis conditions, the immobilized cellulase performed its hydrolyzing conversion at 62%, and the hydrolysis yield remained at 40% after five times of reuse. Additionally, microalgal lipid extraction efficiency increased to around 56% from 32% dramatically after cell wall hydrolysis. These results demonstrate the efficacy and feasibility of the proposed applications in hydrolysis process followed with lipid extraction. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.