Novozymes explores seaweed-to-ethanol in India

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill February 03, 2012

Novozymes has entered into a one-year exploratory research agreement with India’s Sea6 Energy to develop a process to convert seaweed to ethanol. As part of the agreement, Novozymes will focus on the development and manufacturing of enzymes for the conversion process. Sea6 Energy, a company created by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras to develop large-scale biofuels production from seaweed, otherwise known as macroalgae, will share its knowledge of offshore seaweed cultivation technology.

The agreement with Sea6 Energy marks Novozymes’ first venture into seaweed-to-ethanol conversion. GS Krishnan, regional president-India, Novozymes South Asia, said the company elected to explore seaweed’s potential for ethanol production because it offers a natural complement to the company’s other biomass-to-ethanol projects. Seaweed presents unique benefits as a biofuel feedstock in that it is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, it requires no irrigation or fertilizers and it does not need to be cultivated on arable land. Additionally, more than half of the dry mass in seaweed is sugar, offering great potential for high yields. Seaweed also lacks lignin, which could make it easier for producers to break down the plant material in order to reach the fermentable sugars.

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