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Understanding the new oxidative paradigm of biomass waste upcycling

Project description

A promising solution for biofuel generation

The EU has made significant efforts to achieve the green transition and climate neutrality across all sectors. However, the lack of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels has slowed progress and made the transition more challenging. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the LyticPol project aims to investigate the reaction mechanisms of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). This research could lead to a breakthrough in the cost-efficient production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass, offering a viable alternative to fossil fuels and supporting the EU’s climate goals. The project will build on previous LPMO studies and employ novel theoretical methods and strategies to generate clearer insights and data.

Objective

As the EU is committed to becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent, fossil fuels need to be replaced by sustainable alternatives. A potential alternative is the upcycling of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels. However, the cost-efficient generation of biofuel from cellulose is considerably hindered by the recalcitrance of the cellulose biopolymer. In 2010, the discovery of a new family of copper-dependent metalloenzymes called lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) spurred great hopes as LPMOs were shown to significantly boost the degradation of cellulose and other polysaccharides.
Today, eight families of LPMOs have been classified with remarkably diverse substrate specificities and regioselectivities. Furthermore, the metal active sites are in rather different surroundings. Despite combined efforts from experimental and theoretical sides, the reaction mechanism of LPMOs has remained elusive. The here proposed “LyticPol” project suggests that previous theoretical studies lacked general conclusions because they (i) considered too few LPMO families and (ii) employed insufficient theoretical methods for the enzyme environment.
The “LyticPol” project aims at elucidating the reaction mechanism of LPMOs, by using a novel theoretical method on a large set of representative LPMO structures. From knowing the mechanism, the reaction conditions of LPMOs can be fine-tuned and the full industrial potential can be reached. This is expected to have substantial economic and social impact. Hence, the results of the “LyticPol” project will be communicated not only to scientific experts but also to the general public. The project will be carried out by Dr. Erna K. Wieduwilt (EKW) under the supervision of Prof. Erik D. Hedegård at the University of Southern Denmark. The project itself and the training of EKW will contribute decisively to her career goal of becoming an innovative and independent researcher in the field of theoretical bio-inorganic chemistry.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01

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Coordinator

SYDDANSK UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 214 934,40
Address
CAMPUSVEJ 55
5230 Odense M
Denmark
Region
Danmark Syddanmark Fyn
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data