Towards complete cleavage of lignin-carbohydrate bonds
Research Project, 2022 – 2024

In order to better utilize renewable plant biomass for materials and energy instead of fossil resources such as oil and coal, processes to use the biomass must be improved. The biomass is a complex material composed of many different types of intertwined polymers. Some of the connections between the polymers are made from strong chemical bonds and in order to make the biomass easier to deconstruct, these need to be broken. Enzymes are highly specific catalysts that are responsible for the deconstruction of biomass in nature, and enzymes are the main way to break down biomass industrially today. However, the enzymes used to detach plant biomass polymers from each other are poorly understood, though such enzymes could greatly improve biomass deconstruction. In this project, the aim is to find and study new types of enzymes to better cleave the bonds that interlock biomass polymers, and to use these to improve biomass utilization.

Participants

Johan Larsbrink (contact)

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Industrial Biotechnology

Tom Coleman

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Industrial Biotechnology

Merima Hasani

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemical Technology

Andrea Seveso

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Industrial Biotechnology

Collaborations

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Stockholm, Sweden

University of Copenhagen

Köbenhavn, Denmark

Funding

Novo Nordisk Foundation

Project ID: NNF21OC0071611
Funding Chalmers participation during 2022–2024

Related Areas of Advance and Infrastructure

Energy

Areas of Advance

Basic sciences

Roots

C3SE (Chalmers Centre for Computational Science and Engineering)

Infrastructure

Life Science Engineering (2010-2018)

Areas of Advance

Materials Science

Areas of Advance

Publications

More information

Latest update

2/14/2022