The fundamental questions that I am asking with this work have been investigated in the field for more than 30 years. The resent development of mutant collections that are thoroughly characterized along with much improved microscopy methods for the nm-scale and new methods in cellulose defibrillation, however, have paved the way for asking old questions in new ways. My work is therefore very original, being one of the first studies to investigate the effect on cellulose network organization in non-cellulose mutants, i.e. xylan mutants. I have shown that the effect is surprisingly strong, suggesting that this is a rich area of future investigations, and I have shown that this can be done in a medium-throughput manner. The same applies to the work with the test-tube method involving cellulose defibrillation in the presence of glucuronoxylan. This work is the first of its kind and therefore very innovative. It is my hope that my work with inspire other researchers in the field to take up these methods and re-invigorate this area of research. Indeed, I believe that this area is ripe for many new discoveries and will be a major focus area in the field in a number of years. Surely, with time, this will have wider socio-economic impact through the development of better performing and sustainably produced materials made from plant biomass. If we understand how Nature does it, we can take those same principles and apply them to our own interest. When it comes to biomass-based products, such as wood and paper, we still have a lot learn from Nature, which is far ahead in producing materials with truly high-performance physical properties. Plant biomass is the most abundant resource on Earth for producing products that today are made from for instance plastic. Conversion to a renewable and carbon-neutral economy by substituting fossil fuel-based products with plant biomass-based products is of the essence in these dire times with impending climate change and so will continue to be for the decades to come.
