Studies on a bacterium found in camel crickets is capable of breaking down lignin, the material that makes wood tough which can help the development of biofuels and chemical manufacturing using woody type materials.
Lignocellulose is a renewable and abundant energy source and efficient syntheisis of lignocellulosic biofuels in a sustainable and economically manner would allow renewable biofuels without competition for food, so it does not take food. Unfortunately lignocellulose is one of the more difficult biomass materials to break down and transform for biofuel use.
H2020Robox
The European Union has selected the ROBOX proposal as H2020 project. This project has 19 partners and will be coordinated by DSM Geleen. The proposal "ROBOX: Expanding the Industrial Use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for the Conversion and Production of Alcohols" took first place in the selection.
