Project: Cellulosic Fusion Enzyme Development

Funding: $100,000

Mechanism: SBIR Phase I

Sponsor: Department of Energy

The energy and cost to convert lingo-cellulosic material (grass, wood, vegetable residuals, etc) to liquid fuel is a barrier to commercialization. The cost of enzymatic conversion of plant materials into fermentable sugars is large due to the amount and number of enzymes required to break cellulose into fermentable sugars. The efficient conversion of cellulosic materials into fermentable sugars is a fundamental kinetic barrier to the production of cellulosic fuels.

Cellulosic fuel producers require at least three enzymatic activities; in a synergistic sequence of events, endocellulase acts randomly on the cellulose chain, while exocellulase acts on exposed chain ends by splitting off cellobiose or glucose. Cellobiose is subsequently hydrolyzed by ß -glucosidase to glucose. The glucosidase activity is important because the accumulation of cellobiose inhibits the cellulose degradation. 

Combining these essential activities into one fusion enzyme has the potential to reduce enzyme costs by 30% or more while increasing mashing efficiencies.  Both of these properties work synergistically to lower the cost to produce ethanol fuel from renewable resources.  For enzyme manufacturers, bio-fuel has been projected to be a $5 billion enzyme market.