Pre-treatment 'can optimise biofuel composition'

Scientists at Michigan State University have demonstrated how pre-treatment with a cocktail of enzymes can enhance biofuel composition and yield.

The findings from the team at the academic institution's Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center are published in the latest issue of Biotechnology for Biofuels.

"Enzymes for plant cell wall deconstruction are a major cost in the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass," they explain.

In order to attempt to counteract this cost and complexity, the scientists have been looking into the potential to create a synthetic enzyme mixture capable of optimising biofuel composition.

Their suggested formulation contains six core fungal enzymes, with ten additional enzymes as accessories, which can be used on poplar, dried distillers' grain, Miscanthus, switchgrass and corn stover as sources of biomass.

For specific combinations of pre-treatment and biomass type, they were able to demonstrate increased yield with their 16-enzyme mixture, compared with single-enzyme commercial alternatives.

Biotechnology for Biofuels is dedicated to the production process for biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass, including enzymatic conversion, fractionation and fermentation.