Queen's Researcher Looks for Key to Improve Biofuel Production

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August 22, 2012

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Alison Shouldice (The Whig) Piecing together “molecular Lego” is helping Queen’s University researchers explore more efficient ways of producing biofuels.
The research team has been looking at a certain bacterial complex, cellulosome, under the microscope.
Cellulosome is known to be highly efficient at biomass degradation. Broken down biomass is used in the production of biofuels, a source of renewable energy.
Degraded biomass can be used to produce bioethanol as an alternative fuel source, as well as chemicals for use in areas such as medicine.
Instead of taking a broad look at cellulosome’s role in biomass degradation, the Queen’s researchers are looking at it in extreme detail. They are using x-ray crystallography in order to identify the placement of atoms as components in the complex.
…With this information, it’s possible to design enzymes that can degrade biomass in the most efficient way possible. This could mean a more cost-effective way of producing biofuels for companies. READ MORE and MORE (CBC News)

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