Evaluation of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Vegetable Biomass Bagasse Using Enzyme Combination or Co-Substrate to Obtain Sugar Esters

• Grant number: 23/06260-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: April 10, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Moraes Polizeli
• Grantee: Bruno Henrique de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50884-5 - INCT 2014: National Institute of Science and Technology of Bioethanol, AP.TEM

Abstract

Modern society is searching for ways to develop more sustainable processes that reduce carbon emissions, promote proper waste reuse, decrease dependence on oil, and use lignocellulosic biomass as a raw material to produce fuels, chemicals, energy, and materials. The objective of this project is to develop an efficient degradation system for lignocellulosic biomass using enzymatic cocktails produced by microorganisms that integrate holocellulases with a new galactolipase as an accessory enzyme. The use of galactolipases in plant biomass has not yet been explored by the scientific community, so molecular investigation and heterologous expression will be a significant breakthrough for efficient use in biomass biorefineries. These enzymes will be part of enzymatic cocktails that aim to degrade lignocellulosic material from sugarcane and other agricultural residues while seeking to obtain new biomaterials of industrial and economic interest. The goal is to develop more sustainable and efficient processes for biomass biotransformation that can reduce carbon emissions and decrease dependence on oil. This proposal is linked to the thematic project INCT Bioethanol, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Marcos Buckeridge, and approved by FAPESP/CNPq (14/50884-5).