6.Keynote – Enzymes that upgrade renewable biomass to chemicals and new bio-based materials
Genomics initiatives have uncovered the critical importance of microbial enzymes to expand-ing the range of products that can be made from plant biomass (i.e., lignocellulose). So far, most applications of such enzymes focus on the deconstruction of lignocellulose to mono-saccharides and monolignols for subsequent fermentation to fuels and target chemicals. While necessary for capturing the […]
6.Invited – The importance of molecular architecture of wood for enzyme action
Polysaccharide structures determine their biophysical properties and enzymatic digestibility. Moreover, plant polysaccharide structures also influence their interactions and assembly in the cell wall, and consequently, properties such as strength of wood. The action of enzymes on biomass may be influenced not only by the structure of the polysaccharide but also the molecular architecture of the […]
6.2 Production of M-NFC from poplar wood chips: impact of a mechano-enzymatic pre-treatment on M-NFC fiber quality
NFC production is a well-known process that is more and more used to produce high added-value products for many applications such as food packaging, rheology agents or composites. However, production requires a lot of energy such as electricity or water. Starting from industrial poplar wood chips, we propose to combine an enzymatic treatment with a […]
6.1 Oxidation of phenolic lignin model dimers by new fungal polyphenol oxidases
A newly recognized class of single-domain polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) in ascomycetes, termed short PPOs, can sequentially hydroxylate and oxidize guaiacyl- and, in some cases, syringyl-type compounds, leading to oxidative demethoxylation of the latter [1]. Their activity on lignin-derived compounds is novel among PPOs and the catalyzed reaction differs from canonical lignin-active oxidoreductases like laccases and […]
6.4 Microbial Technologies for Bioremediation of Precipitation Sludge from Cardboard Production
Precipitation sludge (PS) generated from cardboard production contains high metals (Al, Fe, Ca, Si) and organic components (starch, cellulose, xylan, and lignin). With high moisture and a mixture of organic and inorganic components, PS cannot be recycled and combusted for energy recovery, resulting in zero value and landfill disposal. This creates both environmental and economic […]
6.3 Understanding enzyme-substrate interactions and biological roles in Carbohydrate Esterase Family 15
Glucuronoyl esterases (GEs) are α/β serine hydrolases from Carbohydrate Esterase family 15 (CE15) which cleave an ester linkage that connects lignin to glucuronyl xylan, an important linkage contributing to biomass recalcitrance. In recent years, we have been exploring the structure-function relationships of several CE15 members, particularly focused on bacterial members and those in species encoding […]
P6.1 – Fungal Degradation of Lignin-Carbohydrate Complexes
Lignocellulose, the most abundant renewable biomass on Earth, presents a promising future for a large-scale biorefinery. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin together make up the majority of lignocellulose, with each providing different biopolymers suitable for added-value chemicals. [1] However, to effectively utilise lignocellulose, efficient fractionation to achieve high purity and yield is necessary. [2] This work […]
P6.2 – Exploring resin acid biodegradation
Bark biodegradation is a phenomenon that happens in nature, but virtually nothing is known about it, this is what happens to the material, which are the microorganisms involved and which enzymes they use. However, our group has recently characterized spruce bark biodegradation over time, both chemically and biologically [1]. During this experiment, sterile spruce bark […]
P6.3 – Esterases for extracting suberin-derived fatty acids from tree bark
Forestry is a significant industry in Europe; however, this sector generates large quantities (~ 359 million m3 per annum [1]) of bark residues as by-products, which are often burned as waste. Structurally, one of the most abundant components of bark is suberin- a complex lipid-like compound with a high fatty-acid (FA) content (~ 90% w/w) […]
P6.4 – Can filamentous fungi decay wood in oxygen-depleted environments?
Wood-degrading fungi play an important role in the carbon cycle through the deconstruction of lignocellulosic polymers in deadwood (1). The enzymatic and abiotic mechanisms used by white-rot and brown-rot fungi to decay wood have been mostly investigated using cultures made at an ambient dioxygen (O2) concentration (2,3). While such concentration is relevant to the decay […]
