An overview of biomass conversion: exploring new opportunities

• Main Authors: László Fülöp, János Ecker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PeerJ Inc. 2020-07-01
• Series: PeerJ
• Subjects: Glycosyl hidrolases; Enzyme modification; Enzyme modeling; Enzyme-substrate interactions; Molecular dynamics; Plant biomass management
• Online Access: https://peerj.com/articles/9586.pdf

Recycling biomass is indispensable these days not only because fossil energy sources are gradually depleted, but also because pollution of the environment, caused by the increasing use of energy, must be reduced. This article intends to overview the results of plant biomass processing methods that are currently in use. Our aim was also to review published methods that are not currently in use. It is intended to explore the possibilities of new methods and enzymes to be used in biomass recycling. The results of this overview are perplexing in almost every area. Advances have been made in the pre-treatment of biomass and in the diversity and applications of the enzymes utilized. Based on molecular modeling, very little progress has been made in the modification of existing enzymes for altered function and adaptation for the environmental conditions during the processing of biomass. There are hardly any publications in which molecular modeling techniques are used to improve enzyme function and to adapt enzymes to various environmental conditions. Our view is that using modern computational, biochemical, and biotechnological methods would enable the purposeful design of enzymes that are more efficient and suitable for biomass processing.