Microbial power
An ever-increasing demand for energy is placing severe pressure on Europe's natural resources. The microbial world, however, has massive untapped potential as a source of novel enzymes that can be used for energy generation. The EU-funded EUROPE'S METAGENOME (Probing Europe's Undiscovered Genome: A Metagenomics Approach to Find Unique Enzymes for the Biofuel and Bioprocessing Industries) project aimed to discover powerful new enzymes from microbes that can efficiently create energy from biological sources. Since most microbes in the environment are unknown and unculturable, EUROPE'S METAGENOME isolated microbial communities' genetic material directly from water and soil samples. Researchers then used sophisticated genetic analyses to identify microbes with potentially useful enzymes in this genetic soup. EUROPE'S METAGENOME evaluated the activity of three enzymes for creating bioenergy from hydrogen, plant oils and plant biomass. Hydrogenases oxidise hydrogen to release energy, lipases convert plant oils into biodiesel, and cellulases convert plant cellulose into sugars that are then fermented to produce ethanol. Researchers improved targeted activities of these enzymes in the lab, particularly focusing on their stability at high temperatures and extreme pH. The project is now collaborating with bioprocessing industries that will use these enzymes to produce bioenergy or biosensors. EUROPE'S METAGENOME puts Europe at the frontier of enzyme discovery and will contribute to global competitiveness in this research area.
Keywords
Microbes, genetic resources, enzymes, bioenergy, bioprocessing