SBIR Phase I: Overcoming the Recalcitrance of Cellulose

这个SBIR第一阶段项目将测试和开发通过在纳米级提供酶对纤维素纤维的可获得性来增强纤维素到葡萄糖的转化的概念。该项目解决了目前以纤维素为基础的生物质生产生物燃料方面存在的一个严重缺陷。其目标是增加纤维素和淀粉的解聚，以便随后可以使用酶将其降解到比目前可能的更大程度。这一“前处理”过程将促进淀粉和纤维素向单糖的转化，并允许更高的厌氧甲烷产生率。该项目的更广泛/商业影响将包括创造一种前处理方法，从而有能力克服目前在纤维素和淀粉(生物质)生物降解和转化为生物燃料方面的限制。从长远来看，这可能会使生物燃料更容易获得，使用更多种类的剩余生物质作为原料。在生产乙醇和高级醇的生物燃料方面，来自纤维素的葡萄糖很可能与以玉米淀粉为基础的葡萄糖在经济上具有竞争力。这项技术可以生产纤维素生物燃料，培养时间与目前以淀粉为基础的生产方法相当。

This SBIR Phase I project will test and develop the concept of enhancing the conversion of cellulose to glucose by providing the accessibility of the enzymes to the cellulose fibers at the nanoscale level. The project addresses a serious deficiency that currently exists in bio-fuels production from cellulose-based biomass. The goal is to increase the disaggregation of cellulose and starch so that it can be subsequently degraded using enzymes to a greater degree than presently possible. This "pre-treatment" process will allow enhanced conversion of starch and cellulose to simple sugars and allow for higher rates of anaerobic methane production.The broader/commercial impact of the project will include creation of a pre-treatment approach leading to the ability to overcome a current limitation in the biodegradation and conversion of cellulose and starch (biomass) to bio-fuels. This could make bio-fuels more available in the longer term using a wider variety of residual biomass as feed stocks. It is likely that glucose from cellulose would become economically competitive with corn starch based glucose for production of bio-fuels, both ethanol and higher alcohols. This technology could produce cellulosic bio-fuels with an incubation time comparable to current starch-based production methods.