Microbe that can breakdown lignin holds promise for cellulosic biofuels production

摘要

In the production of cellulosic biofuels, separating or breaking down lignin to extract cellulose sugars that are bound, is a major challenge. Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have characterized the enzymatic activity of a rain forest microbe that breaks down lignin essentially by breathing it. "Using a combination of transcriptomics and proteomics we observed the anaerobe Enterobacter lignolyticus SCF1 as it grows on lignin," says the lead researcher Blake Simmons, a chemical engineer who heads JBEI's Deconstruction Division.