The PEP groups’s work on biomass valorization and on bioethanol
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In the PEP group we are not only interested in fundamental knowledge on how enzymes work, we are also interested in applying enzyme technology in practice. Take a look at a recent poster, where we advertise for our activities in the field.
Here are more details on our current focus areas: Fish, barley and lignocellulose (bioethanol).
FISH
Valorization of the proteinaceous material in by-products from the fish industry, with focus on producing valuable protein hydrolysates for applications in the fermentation industry. We have previously been running a project for Maritex AS (Sortland Norway), where we focussed on cod viscera. This project revealed that hydolyzed fish viscera may provide exceptionally rich hydrolysates that may be suitable for efficient growing of fastidious probiotic bacteria. Results of this project have been published in five papers that may be found
here. A short project description in norwegian may be found
here. A short report on the outcome of the project, with a discussion of possible applications may be found
here (norwegian, ”fiskeslo blir medisin”, 2005). The work on this project was primarily done by Ph.D. student Stein Ivar Aspmo (now at
Novozymes) and post-doc Svein Horn.
Autumn 2007, we will start a KMB (”Kompetanseprosjekt med Brukermedvirkning”) in collaboration with Marine Harvest AS. The title of this project is: “Conversion of salmon by-products to high-value ingredients of growth media for probiotic bacteria”.
BARLEY
In recent years, we have become involved in two applied projects on barley. The goal of the EU-funded
REPRO project (an FP6 STREP) is to develop advanced methods to enable total transformation of food-processing-derived plant-based organic co-products (vegetable trimmings and brewers’ spent grain) into high and medium added value food, feed and pharmaceutical products such as biopolymers, phytochemicals, nutrients and micronutrients. Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is a barley-derived protein- and fiber-rich co-product. We contribute to REPRO in collaboration with Matforsk, primarily in the following ways: (1) analyses of protein and glucosinolate fractions (the latter is done at Matforsk by Dr. Grethe Iren Borge), (2) enzymatic solublization of BSG, with a focus on the protein fraction, (3) testing of the functionality of solublizied materials (bioactivities, supplements to bacterial growth media, fish feed ingredient), (4) use of proteomics tools to study the location of proteins, their potential interactions with the fiber material, and their susceptibility to enzymatic processing and solublization.
More information may be found on the REPRO offficial website, or in this short outline of the
REPRO project (from the REPRO project application). You may also read about REPRO in Norwegian on forskning.no (”
Kaster ikke svinn”). The principle workers on REPRO are post-doc researchers Janneke Treimo, Svein Horn and Bjørge Westereng.
We also contribute to a large project coordinated by Matforsk called ADDBAR (Added value products from barley). You may find a norwegian description of the
ADDBAR project. The principle workers on ADDBAR are post-doc researchers Janneke Treimo, Svein Horn and Bjørge Westereng. We contribute to ADDBAR in approximately the same way as we contribute to REPRO, but in the ADDBAR case we focus more on barley itself and less on products such as BSG. Furthermore, there is a strong focus on bio-activities and on the ”liberation” of these activities from the barley grain.
Norwegians that want to know more about the virtues of barley can take a look here and here.
LIGNOCELLULOSE AND BIOETHANOL
A major development in the PEP group concerns our increased activity in the field of enzymatic processing of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of bioethanol. Our interest in this topic and the interest that others have in our competence are due to the fact that the enzymatic processing of carbohydrate polymers to fermentable sugars is one of the key bottle-necks in the production of second generation (i.e. lignocellulose-based) bioethanol. Through our years of experience with enzymatic degradation of chitin, we are in a good position to offer industry expertise needed to optimize enzymatic steps in the production of second generation bioethanol. Besides, several breakthrough findings in chitin-enzymology have given us some competitive advantage in the field and some new ideas that are currently being pursued. When it comes to the enzymatic processing step, we are clearly leading in Norway, and we are reasonably competitive internationally. The relevance of our chitin work for the field may be illustrated by the fact that we were asked to present this work in an invited lecture at the
29th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals in Denver, in May 2007.
We are currently collaborating with a Norwegian industry. We supply industry with enzyme comptence related to process development for bioethanol production. Norwegians may find more information about this collaboration here. The principle worker in the PEP group, leading the bioethanol activities, is post-doc researcher Svein J. Horn. Our efforts are part of a larger effort on Ås-campus to combine are exploit its competence in areas such as forestry, biotechnology, biodiversity, economics and plant science for the benefit of sustainable production of biomass-based energy.
In addition to the ogoing industrial project, which is expected to double in size by the end of 2007, the PEP group has the following ongoing activities in the field:
- We are pursuing a deeper understanding of chitin-degradation, while simultaneously linking this work to the turnover of lignocellulose and other recalcitrant carbohydrate polymers. The primary project is “Degradation of insoluble carbohydrate polymers: how do microbial chitinolytic machineries work?”, which is an NFR funded three year post-doc fellowship for Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad (until the end of 2009). He will spend one year with Geoff Fincher in Australia (as off September 2007). Gustav is our expert on CBP21 and related ”helper” proteins. For example, see here.
- We have established a collaboration with Simo Sarkanen, Claudia Schmidt-Dannert and Steve Gantt at the University of Minnesota, the aim being to develop CBP21-like helper proteins (see picture) that act on cellulose. The responsible researcher in the PEP group is post-doc Sigrid Gåseidnes.
- We are in the process of collaborating a collaboration with Drs Carl Gunnar Fossdal and Halvor Solheim at ”Skogoglandskap”, The Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute. As a start, one Ph.D. student will begin summer 2007 on a project aimed at identifying enzymes helper proteins such as CBP21 involved in the degradation of wood by tree pathogenic fungi. We will use both a genome mining and a proteomics approach. Project title: “Enzyme discovery for biomass conversion”.
We are currently focussing very hard on expanding our competence and activities in the bioethanol field, with focus on the enzymatic conversion step, where we believe we have certain competitive advantages. We are intensifying our callobration with industry and we are applying for money in several Research Council programs, partly together with Skogoglandskap. We will also try to participate in forthcoming Bioprospecting programs, which, unfortunatley, so far have been virtually non accessible for non-marine scientists due to political pressures.
MORE INFORMATION
We and others have written several publications that provide general insight into bioethanol as well as into the possible contributions of the PEP group. These texts are written for a broad public in Norwegian. See:
If you want to know more about the difference between first- and second generation bioethanol and about the potential social and environmental implications of this difference, you may take a look at ”The biofuels conundrum”, an editorial in Science, published in April 2007.
You may find a recent 20 minute lecture from Vincent on the topic here, in Norwegian (”Biomasse, bioetanol og bioteknologi”). Please do not hesitate to contact vincent.eijsink[AT]umb.no if you want to know more.
