Studies on the effect of lignocellulose-active esterases in cleaving LCCs in spruce wood

Background
Lignin in lignocellulosic materials is covalently linked to cellulose, hemicellulose and other polymers like suberin through ester bonds. These ester-linked complexes significantly hinder the accessibility of lignocellulose-active enzymes, thereby hampering the extraction of valuable polymers from woody biomass. We have identified some novel esterases that significantly cleave these ester bonds in birch bark. The aim of the current project is to study the effect of these enzymes on a more recalcitrant substrate like spruce wood- by assessing both how they affect the overall saccharification efficiency of cellulases, and by studying material changes using advanced physico-chemical characterization techniques.

Key Skills

• Design, organization and management of a research project.
• Enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulose- determining activity of different CAZymes, optimizing enzyme loading and other process parameters.
• Preparative and Analytical techniques (GC/MS and HPAEC-PAD for product quantification, microscopy (CLSM) and advanced spectrophotometry (FTIR, NMR) for substrate analysis)
• Data analysis, critical thinking and interpretation of results.

The ideal candidate should have previous knowledge of biochemistry/biotechnology and be interested in enzymology and material analytics. The project will be carried out at the Division of Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Life Sciences at Chalmers University of Technology, under the supervision of Prof. Lisbeth Olsson (lisbeth.olsson@chalmers.se) and Meera Christopher (postdoc, meera.christopher@chalmers.se).

Expected Outcomes

• 30-credit Master’s thesis
• Contribution to one manuscript on potential of novel esterases in improving saccharification of lignocellulose