Bacteria enzyme to produce biofuel from woody biomass

ecoseed.org
Friday, June 10, 2011

The structure of the newly identified lignin degrading enzyme from Rhodococcus. Copyright: Lindsay Eltis and Michael MurphyResearchers from the University of Warwick in Britain and the Canada-based University of British Columbia have teamed up in a study that successfully identified an enzyme that could produce more biofuel from woody biomass.

The researchers identified a gene for breaking down lignin in a soil-living bacterium called Rhodococcus jostii. Though similar enzymes have been discovered before in fungi, this is the first time one has been identified in bacteria.

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