Research Challenges
Without pretreatment, biomass is highly resistant to biological conversion into soluble sugars.
Use AFEX and other alkaline pretreatment methods to obtain biomass with maximal sugar content and minimal inhibitor content.
The properties of different biomass materials (corn stover, switchgrass, wood chips) require many strategies to most efficiently use all of them.
Match the best biological enzyme catalysts to the unique properties of different biomass materials by using new robotic methods to assess the action of enzyme complexes.
Biomass transformation requires the simultaneous action of many different enzymes, and these must be discovered from 1000’s of natural variants.
Use new high-throughput approaches for genome sequencing, protein production, and diagnostic assays to identify and improve enzyme complexes capable of biomass processing.
Many natural organisms exist that efficiently use biomass but they have not yet been discovered.
Use modern techniques to isolate and characterize natural organisms from unusual environments.
HIGHLIGHTS
Enzymes for Biomass Pretreated with AFEX. Great Lakes Bioenergy proteomics experts characterized protein sources rich in a large variety of enzymes that degrade biomass. Results led to the identification of a minimal enzyme set needed to deconstruct corn stover that has been treated with an ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) process. This finding will help reduce the number and amount of enzymes required for lignocellulase biomass processing and thus the cost of producing cellulosic ethanol.
