Recombinant Expression and Characterization of Novel Cellulases for Switchgrass Ethanol Production

It is becoming increasingly apparent that we, as a nation, need to quickly develop an alternative and sustainable energy supply. This is due to a host of factors, including uncontrollable fluctuation in oil prices, large oil supplies being controlled by foreign regimes, global shrinking oil supplies, increased global energy demands from emerging economies such as China and India, and unhealthy rises in greenhouse gases associated with fossil fuels. To address this situation, the DOE has identified switch grass as an ideal crop for conversion into bioethanol, and many efforts are now underway to develop a conversion process that is economically practical. The process bottleneck is the breakdown of switch grass cellulose into simple sugars by a group of enzymes known as cellulases. This project will develop a novel enzyme, or set of enzymes, that are capable of breaking down switch grass cellulose into the sugars that are required for ethanol production. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The realization of this technology would result in a renewable source of clean energy, reduction of our dependence on foreign oil, and the creation of a new agricultural and biotechnology market in the United States