Engineered enzymes could substantially lower the cost of biofuels. Researchers at Rutgers Univ. have found that negatively supercharging the enzymes that break down cellulose could make those enzymes more efficient — and potentially reduce the overall amount of enzymes needed for the process that converts cellulose to sugar. Enzymes represent about 20% of the production cost of biofuels, says Shishir Chundawat, an assistant professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Rutgers Univ.
▲ Engineers have tweaked enzymes derived from Ruminoclostridium thermocellum bacteria to prevent the enzymes from sticking to the surfaces of biomass — which inactivates the enzymes and prevents them from breaking down the lignin (green). By replacing native amino acids with glutamate or aspartate, they increased the negative net...
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