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Conversion
of biomass into ethanol generally involves three steps: pretreatment to open up biomass for enzyme
action; enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated material to release sugars;
and fermentation of the sugars by microorganisms, such as yeast, to produce
ethanol. The second step, enzymatic
hydrolysis, typically targets cellulose, which is the predominant component
of biomass, while the sugars from hemicellulose are
often released during pretreatment.
The cellulose substrate is hydrolyzed by cellulase
enzymes to produce glucose, which can be fermented by microorganisms into
ethanol. Thus, the efficiency of the
cellulose hydrolysis step directly impacts ethanol yields and/or conversion
costs. Typically,
some of the cellulase enzymes that are added to the
pretreated biomass to hydrolyze cellulose become bound to lignin (which makes
up 15-30% of biomass). However, cellulase enzymes are unable act on lignin, and they are
rendered useless by such binding. To
compensate for this unproductive binding, additional quantities of cellulase must be added to the biomass, or else
conversion efficiencies suffer. In
either scenario, the cost/profit of the overall process becomes less
favorable. This
technology is claimed in the published United States Patent Application Nos.
10/391,740 and 11/229,817. We are seeking an industrial partner interested in
its commercialization. (Ref: J202) |
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«Technology Transfer Office : Sponsored Projects : Dartmouth College |
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Phone: (603) 646-3027 |
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Fax: (603) 646-3670 |
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