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.
