In Brazil, researchers discovered CelOCE, a natural enzyme capable of revolutionizing cellulose deconstruction, crucial for converting biomass into biofuels like ethanol. Cellulose is highly resistant to degradation. CelOCE is a metalloenzyme that uses an unprecedented mechanism of substrate binding and oxidative cleavage to break down cellulose’s crystalline structure, making it accessible to other enzymes.
This mechanism represents a new paradigm beyond previous discoveries like monooxygenases. CelOCE is significantly more effective, yielding twice the result compared to adding monooxygenases. A key advantage is that CelOCE is a dimer and produces its own peroxide co-substrate in situ, eliminating the industrial challenge of adding external, difficult-to-control peroxide.
Discovered from soil samples containing sugarcane bagasse in Brazil, this finding, validated at pilot scale, can immediately increase conversion efficiency from typical ranges of 60-80%. This is highly relevant for major biofuel producers like Brazil.
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