Woodzymes

Several crucial steps in wood industries involve extreme operation conditions (such as high temperature and pH) to remove or modify recalcitrant lignin that protects cellulose in the plant cell wall. Enzymes can substitute harsh and energy-demanding chemical treatments for sustainable production of bio-based building blocks and products in wood biorefinery. However, wild enzymes, evolved to act under natural environmental conditions, cannot be integrated into the current industrial processes. WoodZymes project aimed to develop and optimize extremophilic enzymes resisting very high temperature and pH, to be used as biocatalysts in wood industries. These extremoenzymes were applied to recover phenolic compounds from enzymatic breakdown of technical lignin, as well as lignin and hemicellulose compounds from enzymatic delignification and bleaching of kraft pulp (also resulting in more sustainable final cellulosic pulp). The extremophilic enzymes were also used to valorise the latter compounds as bio-based precursors for adhesives in the manufacture of medium-density fibreboards, and as components of insulation polyurethane foams (substituting fossil building blocks), as well as for obtaining renewable sugar-based papermaking additives.

Detail description

Contribution detail info

Location
  • Europe
Authors
  • Susana Camarero
Purpose
  • Communication
  • Dissemination
File type
Video
File size
28.88 MB
Created on
30-11-2021
Origin language
English
Official project website
WoodZymes
License
CC BY-NC

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