Biofuel laboratory looks into lignocellulose conversion

The conversion of lignocellulose into eco-friendly energy sources including ethanol has been studied by a team at the Danisco biofuel laboratory.

Danisco provides bio-based solutions, enzymes and food ingredients, with its biofuel laboratory team saying that effective enzymes are a core component in the lignocellulose conversion process.

They have now published a discussion in Biotechnology for Biofuels, focusing on CEL6A, a Hypocrea jecorina cellobiohydrolase.

Although cellulases have been used in biofuels research for some decades, the authors claim that Danisco division Genencor's Accellerase 1000 formulation, launched in 2007, was the first marketed to the industry for biomass saccharification.

They have now tested CEL6A and found it to be more thermolabile than alternatives including CEL3A and CEL5A.

As a result, they suggest that cellulase performance at temperatures sustained at more than 50 degrees C could differ between the different options.

Subsequent engineering work conducted at the biofuel laboratory has led to improved thermal stability of both CEL6A and CEL7A, removing the performance difference between them and CEL3A or CEL5A.