Understanding the new oxidative paradigm of biomass waste upcycling

Project Information

LyticPol

Grant agreement ID: 101106997

DOI

10.3030/101106997

Project terminated on 30 September 2025

EC signature date 19 July 2023

Start date 1 April 2024

End date 31 March 2026

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 214 934,40

Coordinated by

SYDDANSK UNIVERSITET
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LyticPol (Understanding the new oxidative paradigm of biomass waste upcycling)

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2026-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Tackling the climate crisis requires replacing fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives. An example of a renewable feedstock is lignocellulosic biomass. Its use has several advantages: since it is obtained, for example, from forest and agricultural residues, it does not compromise global food security, and it can be used to produce biofuels, as well as bioproducts, and more than 200 different chemicals. However, lignocellulose is a very recalcitrant material, hampering its use as a direct replacement for fossil fuels.
A promising way forward is the use of enzyme cocktails to break down lignocellulosic biomass. Important components of such cocktails are the enzymes lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). To date, eight different LPMO families have been discovered. All eight families contain a single copper atom, which allows them to employ a unique oxidative mechanism to break down several polysaccharides. Yet, this mechanism remains elusive because too few LPMO families have been considered in previous studies, and the theoretical methods employed have been insufficient. The proposed “LyticPol” project aimed to develop a novel theoretical method and employ it on a large set of representative LPMO structures. The main scientific objective was to obtain a more general picture of the LPMO mechanism, as a basis for fine-tuning the industrial reaction conditions for LPMOs.
Overall, the project aimed to contribute decisively to the career goal of the researcher: to become an independent and innovative researcher in the field of bioinorganic chemistry.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The overall objective of decisively contributing to the researcher’s career goal has been fully achieved: the researcher accepted an assistant professor position with tenure track at a German university. Therefore, the project had to be terminated earlier.
Within the project duration, reaction mechanisms of two LPMO families have been studied, leading to the publication of two scientific articles and presentations of the results at three international conferences and two invited talks. Additionally, other mechanistic aspects that were not originally part of the proposal have been studied and will be published in three scientific articles; manuscripts are currently in preparation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The work performed led to new insights into the reaction mechanisms of copper enzymes degrading biomass. It demonstrated the importance of developing reliable computational methods and protocols to study the reaction mechanisms of copper enzymes. Further research will focus on gaining new insights into the diverse reaction mechanisms of LPMOs and related enzymes, as well as on developing protocols and methods to study them more reliably and extensively.