A New Approach to a Deep Understanding of Biomass Recalcitrance
EMSL Project ID
39492
Abstract
A deep understanding of 'biomass recalcitrance' is a key to the development of cost effective pretreatment and discovery of highly efficient cell wall polysaccharide degrading enzyme systems. A considerable amount of research effort has been directed to illustrate the relationship between specific biomass substrate properties and the efficacy of cellulase enzyme components. However, due to the diverse nature of lignocellulosic biomass and heterogeneous characteristics of pretreated substrates, it is a difficult to investigate individual substrate characteristics without any interference from other substrate parameters. As a result, a systematic approach to elucidate the principles behind structural and chemical complexity of biomass cell wall structures governing their recalcitrance to enzymatic hydrolysis is lacking. The poor understanding of 'biomass recalcitrance' significantly limits our capability to devise efficient pretreatment strategies and discover effective enzymes for biomass conversion. It is apparent that new methodologies are required to open new windows to examine 'biomass recalcitrance'. The specific objectives of proposed research are to: 1) apply chemical pulping methods to create a set of biomass reference substrates with controlled properties to reflect chemical and structural diversity of biomass materials and 2) investigate enzyme and substrate interactions from macro fiber scale to molecular scale by using latest cellulase preparations developed for biomass conversion. The research outcome from this research will help pave new avenues for further in-depth investigation of 'biomass recalcitrance'. The results obtained from proposed research program will provide valuable information to help guide research direction in genetic improvement of cellulase enzymes and designing more efficient biomass conversion process. The research approaches outlined in this proposal also present a practical means of capitalizing valuable knowledge from well established pulp and papermaking industry on bioconversion research development. This will provide new research ideas and new research pathways to accelerate research agenda to move towards the commercialization of bioconversion processes. North American pulp and paper industry has been in a continuous declining in the last decade and is desperately looking for new solutions to stay alive. Bridging pulping and papermaking with bioconversion will also provide new business models for transforming pulp and paper industry to a new generation of biomass industry capable of producing a wider spectrum of competitive products.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2010-09-27
End Date
2011-10-03
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
Brown E, D Hu, and X Zhang. 2012. "The Nano-Level Mechanical Properties and Molecular Interactions of Wheat Straw Nanocrystalline Cellulose/Fibrin Nanocomposites Intended for Artificial Vascular Graft Applications." PNNL-SA-89375, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Brown E, D Hu, N Abu-Lail, and X Zhang. 2013. "Potential of nanocrystalline cellulose-fibrin nanocomposites for artificial vascular graft applications." Biomacromolecules 14(4):1063-1071.
Ju X, ME Bowden, MH Engelhard, and X Zhang. 2014. "Investigating Commercial Cellulase Performances Toward Specific Biomass Recalcitrance Factors Using Reference Substrates." Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. doi:10.1007/s00253-013-5450-4