Kevin S. Wenger, Bioprocess Research, Mascoma Corporation, 16 Cavendish Court Suite 2A, Lebanon, NH 03766
The central challenge in implementing the large-scale production of cellulosic biofuels using the biochemical approach is fast and economical conversion of the lignocellulosic substrates into fermentable sugars. Currently available cellulase enzymes derived from aerobic fungal production represent the highest single projected operating cost in cellulosic ethanol production after feedstock. Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), or one-step simultaneous digestion of the cellulosic substrate and production of ethanol, represents the single most-enabling technology for large-scale, economic production of ethanol or other biofuels. Thermophilic anaerobic bacteria have the advantages of native conversion of hemicellulose and cellulose without need for exogenously added enzymes, as well as fast fermentation of the key structural sugars present in lignocellulosic biomass. Mascoma's recent progress in engineering Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum and Clostridium thermocellum for high yield ethanol production is presented. These results demonstrate a significant step forward in Mascoma's development of a CBP approach for ethanol and an overall advancement of the biological platform for biofuel production.
