Ideal temperature for biofuel conversion is identified

May 20, 2013 |

In California, biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass would benefit if carried out between 65 and 70 degrees, as researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute have improved the thermal stability of trichoderma reesei EGI around that temperature. Using their technique, they engineered an enzyme variant with greater activity and stability, a process called “B-factor guided mutagenesis.” “Just like the loosest knots in a rope will unravel first, the most flexible amino acids in an enzyme are the most likely to fall out of place when the protein is thermally stressed,” explains Douglas Clark, part of the research team.

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Category: Research

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