Novozymes: $2.5 million for bioenergy enzyme development

A U.S. DOE award of up to $2.5 million will help Novozymes identify new and efficient enzymes to produce advanced biofuels and chemicals from corn stover – including cellulosic ethanol.

Novozymes is partnering on this with MBI International. The project to screen natural enzymes for the best performing varieties will be ongoing for the next two years. The enzymes will be tested on pretreated agricultural waste for conversion to sugars, followed by other bio-based products. “It’s not limited to ethanol although I think ethanol is a very promising near term candidate,” said Sarah Teter, bioenergy and protein optimization scientist.

…Full text: biomassmagazine.com/articles/8503/doe-award-will-help-novozymes-develop-more-efficient-enzymes

Tags: Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX), enzyme cocktails, independent evaluation, bioenergy project, ethanol industry, cellulosic feedstocks