ery of a new 'enzyme cocktail' could simplify the biomass process, by eliminating the detoxification stage.
Researchers at Virginia Tech believe that a combination of enzymes could be used to break up biomass in place of sulphuric acid – or an equivalent.
This makes detoxification of biomass prior to microbial fermentation to convert substances into fuel unnecessary.
Virginia Tech associate professor of biological systems engineering Percival Zhang, who published the research in the journal Chemistry & Biology, explained: "Enzymes self-assemble a cell-free synthetic pathway; that is, we can put the desired biological reactions to work without the other complex interactions that take place within a cell.
"The cell-free synthetic pathway process increases efficiency and reaction rate."
Earlier this month, biotech company Chromatin announced that tests on a newly developed sorghum hybrid showed it can be used successfully to improve biomass yield during the biofuel production process.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the biomass processing industry includes; Conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyors
