A systems approach to design of reference biomass substrates for discovering highly efficient cell wall polysaccharide degrading enzymes to overcome biomass recalcitrance
EMSL Project ID
46009
Abstract
There is little doubt that sugar will become the primary currency of the future bioeconomy. Lignocellulosic biomass has been regarded as the most promising and sustainable source for supplying non-food sugar. However, an economically feasible biomass-to-biochemical and biofuel conversion process has yet to be developed and demonstrated. Among various conversion pathways/routes, microbial and enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars holds a great promise as a green and sustainable process. The lack of highly efficient and cost effective cell-wall degrading enzymes is a major obstacle preventing the commercialization of a biologically based lignocellulosic biomass conversion process. It is well recognized that the effectiveness of enzymatic hydrolysis is inextricably linked to the structural and chemical characteristics of the biomass material. The objective of this project is to develop a systems-level understanding of the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulosic biomass toward enzymatic hydrolysis. This project is built upon a NSF funded research project "A new approach to a deep understanding of biomass recalcitrance" and aims at applying a suite of surface analytical techniques to examine the substrate characteristic changes during enzymatic hydrolysis. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide key information to discovery of more efficient and cost effective microbial enzymes for producing sugars from lignocellulosic biomass as a sustainable energy source.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2011-10-25
End Date
2012-10-28
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
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