Provided is a modified Family 1 carbohydrate binding module (CBM) comprising amino acid substitutions at one or more of positions 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 21, 24, 29, 31, 33, and 37, said position determined from alignment of a Family 1 CBM amino acid sequence with SEQ ID NO: 30, and exhibiting from about 50% to about 99.9% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 30. Also provided are modified glycosidase enzymes comprising the modified Family 1 CBM, genetic constructs and genetically modified microbes for expressing the modified Family 1 CBM or modified glycosidase enzyme. The modified Family 1 CBM confers reduced lignin binding and/or increased hydrolyzing activity in the presence of lignin to the modified glycosidase enzyme, which may be used in a process for hydrolyzing cellulose or hemicellulose in the presence of lignin.