Monday, May 4, 2009
5-13
Improving cellulase compositions for lignocellulose hydrolysis
Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable feedstock that can be converted to fuels and chemicals through simple sugar intermediates. Despite recent advances in reducing the cost of cellulases for bioethanol production, additional work is required to further reduce the cost by increasing the efficiency of enzymes for converting lignocellulose to fermentable sugars. Earlier this year, Novozymes was awarded a USD 12.3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Novozymes will match the DOE funding, bringing the total investment of the research project to USD 25 million. Starting with an advanced biomass enzyme system and using dilute-acid pretreated corn stover (PCS) provided by NREL as a commercially relevant feedstock, Novozymes’ objective is to develop a two-fold improved enzyme mixture. This presentation will describe a variety of approaches to reach the goal.
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