Partnership agreed to promote C5 yeast biofuels

Danish enzymes-for-biofuels producer Novozymes will partner with yeast specialist Terranol to complete final testing on a yeast strain which could accelerate conversion of waste into biofuel.

Novozymes will have the right to register and market Terranol’s C5 yeast technology under the agreement.

‘We feel Terranol's C5 yeast is currently one of the best strains developed and, by getting it registered and marketed around the world, we can help make it available to the biofuel industry,’ says Novozymes’ VP of bioenergy Poul Ruben Andersen. ‘This will provide a higher degree of certainty in the commercialisation of cellulosic ethanol.’

‘A yeast that ferments C5 sugars is essential to cost-efficient production of cellulosic ethanol," adds Terranol CEO Birgitte Ronnow. ‘Our C5 yeast is among the furthest developed in the industry and, by leveraging Novozymes' marketing muscle, we hope to speed up its commercialisation.’