Fungus could help improve biomass-to-biofuel refinement

An international team of scientists have found a group of enzymes in fungi that can break down a main component of wood, enabling a more efficient refining process.

The researchers say that the process could be used to convert wood into a variety of useful chemical products according to a University of York press release. They hope that the discovery can help the viability of wood as a source of advanced biofuels.

Inspiration for the study came from observing the place of fungi in the carbon cycle as they break down wood and releasing the nutrients back into the soil.

A family of enzymes called lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases were found to be capable of breaking down xylans, which are carbohydrate molecules in the wood that are especially resistant to degradation.

Researchers from the University of York worked with those from Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Marseille to identify the fungi and their role.

Professor Paul Walton from the University of York and co-author of the paper said in a statement: “Back in 2010 we made the key discovery that a group of enzymes found in fungi, contain copper – these enzymes are now known to be an important component in the  decomposition of biomass by biology. This research builds on that work by identifying further enzymes from this class which have the ability to break down wood’s challenging molecular structure.

“These enzymes may underpin the development of improved enzyme cocktails for biorefinery applications using wood – unlocking its conversion into a wide-range of valuable commodities in a sustainable way.”

Gideon Davies, another co-author also from the University of York, added: “This discovery unlocks the key scientific challenge of how biorefineries can convert wood into biofuel in an environmental and cost-effective way, bringing us a step closer to a sustainable 21st Century.”

The study is called ‘Lytic xylan oxidases from wood-decay fungi unlock biomass degradation’ and was published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.