The United States Department of Energy has selected Novozymes to develop the enzymes for a system to turn non-food products of agriculture into fuel.
This type of fuel is called cellulosic ethanol, and it can be made from corn stalks, agricultural waste and even algae. As the popularity of producing bio-based fuel rises, some experts have noted rising food prices as food stuffs are diverted to fuel production. Cellulosic ethanol bypasses those concerns.
"Novozymes is committed to providing the bioinnovation required to make cellulosic ethanol a commercial reality," says Joel Cherry, Senior Director of Biofuels Biotechnology.
"This funding will be used to bolster our ongoing research effort to develop cost-effective enzymes for the conversion of cellulose-rich biomass into ethanol or other renewable fuels."
The project will be carried out as a global collaboration between Novozymes researchers in California, North Carolina, Denmark and China, as well as with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Cornell University, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique University in France.