Researchers find new method to convert cellulose for better biofuel production

In New Mexico, researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center have determined that cellulose III has a less sticky surface, which means that a smaller quantity of enzymes get stuck to it non-productively. The GLBRC team had found that using one method of pretreatment to convert cellulose into a unique structure known as cellulose III increased sugar yields by as much as five times. The team also found that pretreatment resulting in cellulose III also reduced in the quantity of enzymes that bind to the service.

The model developed by the two groups also predicted that the enhanced enzyme activity—resulting in higher sugar yields—occurs, in spite of the reduced binding, because enzymes can more easily pull apart single strands of cellulose III than traditional cellulose. This exciting news may set the stage for future enzyme creation and development that are tailored to use cellulose III, leading to greater cost efficiency.