Enzymes: From cheese to biofuels

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Enzymes From cheese to biofuels

• Presented at BioWales 2008 by Stuart West

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The new ancient industry
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Cheese an enzyme manufactured food
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(No Transcript)
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What is an enzyme?

• A biological catalyst
• A protein all enzymes are proteins but not all
  proteins are enzymes!
• Totally natural
• The key to all life
• Enzymes are found in every form of life and
  without them life would not exist

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Three dimensional enzyme model
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Leather another old industry that uses enzymes

• Tanneries have a reputation for being unpleasant
  smelly places, which is no wonder considering the
  source of the enzymes used!

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Wash at 300C

• The use of enzymes in soap powders was first
  patented around 100 years ago
• Today enzymes usage is helping us to save energy
  by washing at lower temperatures

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Industrial or White Biotechnology

• The enzyme industry is a major part of the
  industrial/white biotechnology industry
• There is now a renewed interest in the enzyme
  industry as a result of bio-fuels (ethanol
  diesel) enhanced crop utilisation green
  chemical synthesis

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Enzymes are delicate expensive catalysts??

• Many enzymes can be used at gt1000C
• Many enzymes can work at the extremes of pH
• Enzymes are highly efficient catalysts that can
  cost effectively be used in the manufacture of
  cheap bulk chemicals

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Uses of enzymes are very diverse
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Enzyme market by sector
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Biocatalysts Enzyme Pyramid
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Maize is a current major crop for bioethanol

• Maize is the traditional main crop used for the
  manufacture of glucose and high fructose syrups
• The glucose is now being fermented to bio-ethanol

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Bio-ethanol enzyme manufactured

• Starch is turned into glucose using old enzyme
  technology
• Glucose is fermented to ethanol

Starch
Amylase
Dextrins
AMG
Glucose
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Bio-ethanol from cellulose

• Bio-ethanol from starch eg maize uses a food
  crop, currently 30 of all US maize is used for
  bio-ethanol
• Currently 1 of all actual potential
  agricultural land is used for bio-fuels
  production
• Cellulose is far more abundant than starch and
  would allow bio-ethanol to be made from grass,
  wood etc

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Biofuels

• First generation bioethanol is derived from
  starch using old enzyme technology
• Second generation bioethanol will be produced
  from cellulose using new enzyme technology
• First generation biodiesel doesnt use enzyme
  technology
• Second generation biodiesel will use developing
  enzyme technology

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The structure of plant cell walls is very complex
Xyl-Xyl-Xyl-Xyl Ara
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Ferulate structures are much more difficult to
breakdown
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Conclusions

• Man has used enzymes for thousands of years to
  help process food clothes
• Enzymes are now utilised in a wide range of
  industries from food processing to biosensor
  manufacture and from washing powders to biofuels
• Enzymes are the key to the manufacture of
  bio-ethanol from crops such as grass