Novozymes Launches Fibrex Platform for Corn Fiber-to-Ethanol

(Novozymes/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Novozymes today announced the launch of Fiberex, a comprehensive platform based on novel enzymes and yeast strains to convert corn fiber into ethanol. Fiberex is specifically aimed at breaking down tough fibers in the corn, providing producers with greater operational flexibility. The technology converts a low-value by-product into high-value, low-carbon fuel while also enabling the production of significantly more corn oil.

Low-carbon fuels are a crucial part of transportation – enabling domestic energy, a cleaner environment, and better livelihoods for rural America and beyond. Most ethanol is made from the starch in corn kernels, whereas the fiber is much more difficult to use, being a complex matrix consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, starch, protein, oil, and minerals.

The cellulose is rigid and partially crystalline in form while the hemicellulose is highly branched and amorphous. Novozymes’ Fiberex enzymes are specifically designed to break down this complex matrix – resulting in more corn oil and converting the fiber into simple sugars that are easily converted into ethanol.

“Ethanol producers know their business best! We now make available industry-leading technology and are putting our bioinnovation in top gear to convert every last pound of fiber in corn,” says Brian Brazeau. “Realizing the importance of fiber-based ethanol in reducing our carbon footprint, improving co-products, and increasing value for producers, we have embarked on a mission to develop biology that can convert all of this tough feedstock into low-carbon ethanol. It is time to reimagine ethanol.”

As part of the platform announcement, Novozymes is also launching the first Fiberex products: Fiberex R1, a technology specifically designed to provide maximum ethanol in separate fiber-to-ethanol processes, and Fiberex F1, a cellulase enzyme designed to provide fiber conversion for in-process technologies. Additional solutions, to launch in 2021, are in proof-of-concept trials now.