CAREER: Fundamental studies of enzyme-polysaccharide interactions towards improving the kinetics of biomass conversion

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In the realm of biomass conversion to biofuels, many thermoconversion catalytic routes are under study, while far fewer bioconversion catalytic routes receive the same study. This is reflective of the difficulty of the problem. One of the challenging technological barriers to the large scale bioconversion of plant biomass to advanced biofuels is the limited understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis by individual and synergistic hydrolytic enzymes. Therefore, saccharification reaction outcomes are not predictable over variables of reaction scale, feedstock variability and enzyme systems. PI Tina Jeoh, of the University of California Davis proposes to understand cellulase-cellulose interactions that impact the kinetics of hydrolysis, and relate studies of fundamental interfacial interactions at the molecular-scale to saccharification rates on the bulk-scale as the research objective of her CAREER project. Specific tools to be used to study the effect of cellulose surface chemistry of native, never-dried cellulose microfibrils on interfacial interactions with water and enzymes include atomic force microscopy, confocal microscopy and in vitro biochemical assays. The experimental capabilities will be further enhanced during this project by chemical force spectroscopy using scanning probes conjugated to specific chemistries or protein to directly probe cellulose surface chemistry at the nanometer scale. These approaches represent significantly comprehensive attacks on the problem of enzymatic cell wall degradation, and promise to increase the fundamental understanding of this area.An equally aggressive approach has been proposed for the educational component of the CAREER award, with emphasis on increasing the representation of women in engineering. PI Jeoh believes women are under-represented in the STEM workforce largely due to insufficient environmental and nurturing factors throughout their education. One of the educational approaches of this CAREER proposal is to engage K-12 girls in surrounding communities in an annual WISTEM for girls fair where 50-60 girls from Yolo county schools will be invited to the UC Davis campus for a day of STEM activities and lab tours, co-hosted by the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) campus group and ISIS Education, a local non-profit group in Davis aiming to increase girls participation in STEM. The broader impacts of the research from this project include the overcoming of key technological challenges standing in the way of the successful establishment of a viable advanced biofuels industry, which is currently the most promising and sustainable transportation fuel alternative to fossil fuels. The broader impact of the education plan of this project is to help increase the numbers of women in the STEM workforce by engaging school-aged girls in STEM activities.