Page 57 - Plastics News February 2018

TECHNOLOGY

Genetically engineered fungus now squeezes out more biofuel from

farm waste

ndia’s efforts to enhance biofuel production may get a dry biomass – including that of crop residues – contain
Iboost from a work being done at a research laboratory cellulose and hemocellulose. “Processes currently used for
in New Delhi.Researchers at the International Centre biological conversion of cellulosic biomass are capable of
for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) have converting only 60-65 per cent of cellulose material into
altered the genome of a commercially-exploited fungus sugars. Our process could enhance the recovery to 80-85
in such a way that it would increase the production
of enzymes helpful in converting cellulose into simple per cent,” the ICGEB scientist said. The scientists, funded
fermentable sugars. The significance of the work lies in by a research grant from the Department of Biotechnology,
the fact that it would help produce double the amount of have been working the PF fungus since 2009. They opted
biofuel from agricultural waste materials, including rice for this fungus as it was found to produce five times more
and wheat straw, whose burning was implicated in the active enzyme (known as CBH1) in breaking down cellulose
worsening of air quality in most parts of northern India. as compared to its fungal cousinTrichoderma reesei, more
Available estimates show that India produces around 500 commonly used in industrial enzyme cocktails.
million tonnes of agricultural waste annually.
In this work, the ICGEB scientists went a step further and
The ICGEB scientists led by Syed Shams Yazdani disrupted tweaked the PF fungal genome in such a way that the
a control mechanism found in the fungus penicillium enzyme production can be doubled.
funiculosum (PF) that regulates its metabolic activity.
Disrupting this mechanism called carbon catabolite
repression helped the scientists to increase the production
of enzymes that are involved in converting cellulose MACHINERY FOR SALE
into sugars and, thus increased the production of
biofuels. The ICGEB scientists published their work in the KOLSITE 45mm H.M. Extruder with
journal Biotechnology for Biofuels last week. The newly- 4 station Winder, 15 HP D.C.
engineered fungus could be a strong alternative in the Derive and motor(1985 Model)
industrial enzyme repertoire used for biofuel production,” Sealing and cutting machine 32”
said Yazdani. More importantly, it can use any type make Sunil Engineering Delhi.

A
: Note :
These all machines are currently
in running conditions.

A
Sharad Kumar Jain
KIRAN PLASTICS
254, KRISHNAPURI, MUZAFFAR NAGAR
UTTAR PRADESH

agricultural waste as feedstock, he said. “We have not only Mob:9412212812
found a way to double the quantity of enzymes available,
but also improved their quality, leading to increased Email: reena_sharad@yahoo.co.in
biofuel production,” Yazdani said. Around 80 per cent of

57 Feb ruar y 2018 Plastics News