Enzymes and Ethanol

Mark Emalfarb, Founder and CEO of Dyadic International, thinks his company can transform release the economy from its dependence on oil using technology that enables us to use carbohydrates as a fuel. Mark Emalfarb, Founder and CEO of Dyadic International, thinks his company can transform release the economy from its dependence on oil using technology that enables us to use carbohydrates as a fuel. He has a single-minded goal to transform the global energy system to a non-fossil fuel economy. Admitting it will not be easy, he thinks Dyadic has the tools to make it happen. He says he has been particularly inspired by BIO 2006 in Chicago and the emphasis shifting from pharmaceuticals to industrial biotechnology, and in particular to producing ethanol from not only corn but the corn stalks, wheat straw, sugar cane bagasse, citrus peels, and virtually any other cellulosic material. Apparently a fungus, Dyadic has nicknamed C1, is being reprogrammed to produce large volumes of low cost enzymes to convert cellulose, xylan and other hemicelluloses into fermentable sugars which can then be used to replace petroleum for a whole lot more than merely ethanol. “We are already using our C1 Host Technology to make enzymes for stonewashing denim and improving the efficiencies, cost structure (e.g. in bio refining 20 % - 60% energy savings) and environmental impact of pulp & paper processing and we hope to be one of the catalysts to transitioning from a petroleum based economy to a carbohydrate based economy from renewable feedstock such as starch and cellulosics.” Says Mark Emalfarb, CEO of Dyadic. The company also hopes to exploit the knowledge gained from the C1 genome sequence and annotation being carried out in partnership with The Scripps Research Institute. The company anticipates being able to use the C1 fungal expression system to develop better and lower cost enzymes that can be used to convert even greater amounts of cellulosic substrates into fermentable sugars. These sugars can be used to manufacture ethanol and a range of other petroleum substitutes. "Source":[http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news&doc_id=12683&start=1&control=177&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1].

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