By deciphering the makeup of a bacterium found in the soil of a tropical rain forest, scientists may have a better understanding of how to more efficiently produce cellulosic biofuels. In the production of cellulosic biofuesl, sugars stored within the plant cell wall, known as lignocellulose, are sourced. Their extraction is difficult and requires chemical pretreatment followed by enzymatic digestion using micro-organisms. However, while ionic liquids – salty solvents – improve the digestibility of lignocellulose, they also are toxic to bacteria used in subsequent conversion steps. Using new experimental methods and computational analysis, a team of scientists from the Joint… Login to continue

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