Collaboration
Industrial enzymes producer Novozymes has signed a research and development agreement to develop processes for making biofuel from wood chips and other forestry residues with Lignol Energy Corporation, a specialist in cellulosic ethanol.
The partners aim to develop a process for making biofuel from forestry waste at a price of $2 per gallon, a price competitive with gasoline and corn ethanol at the current US market prices.
“Novozymes’ goal is to enable commercial production of cellulosic biofuel from a wide range of feedstocks,” says Claus Crone Fuglsang, Senior Director of BioEnergy R&D at the company. “Our work [with Lignol] over the past couple of years has reinforced a shared vision to produce energy and value from wood waste.”
Lignol has developed a pre-treatment technology for dealing woody biomass, while in February this year, Novozymes launched enzymes that convert cellulose in biomass into sugars that can be fermented into ethanol.
The partners plan to use Lignol’s industrial pilot plant in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada to optimise both Lignol’s process and Novozymes’ enzymes on different types of forestry waste. Later, Lignol plans to construct large-scale biorefineries for the production of cellulosic biofuel from wood chips and forestry residues.
Receive the Funding Newswire [full access requires a subscription] each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.
