sugars from biomass

Study finds way to catalyze more sugars from biomass

(Phys.org) —Catalysis may initiate almost all modern industrial manufacturing processes, but catalytic activity on solid surfaces is poorly understood. This is especially true for the cellulase enzymes used to release fermentable sugars from cellulosic biomass for the production of advanced biofuels. Now, researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) through support from the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) have literally shed new light on cellulase catalysis.

 

The Article 

 This article will explain it better than I can, but the idea is that using a precise visible light microscopy technique called PALM – for Photo-Activated Localization Microscopy, researchers have found a way to increase the yield of sugars used to make fuel. 

This new technology could make bio-fuel a viable source of energy. It will increase the number of plants that can be used in the process as well as increasing the yield of each plant.