Penn State researchers have revealed how molecular roadblocks slow the breakdown of cellulose, an abundant renewable resource in plants.
Penn State researchers have revealed how molecular roadblocks slow the breakdown of cellulose, an abundant renewable resource in plants.
Cellulose, which helps give plant cell walls their rigid structure, holds promise as a renewable raw material for biofuels — if researchers can accelerate the production process. Compared to the breakdown of other biofuel materials like corn, breaking down cellulose is slow and inefficient but could avoid concerns around using a food source while taking advantage of abundant plant materials that might otherwise go to waste. New research led by Penn State investigators has revealed how several molecular roadblocks slow this process.
The team’s most recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the molecular process by which cellobiose — a two-sugar fragment of cellulose that is made during cellulose deconstruction — can clog up the pipeline and interfere with subsequent cellulose breakdown.
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Image: New research by Penn State researchers reveals how several molecular roadblocks slow the breakdown of cellulose for biofuels. Here, Daguan Nong, assistant research professor of biomedical engineering, adjusts the SCATTIRSTORM microscope, which allow the researchers to track individual enzymes through the breakdown process. (Credit: Michelle Bixby/Penn State)
