Simplifying the Microbial Conversion of Biomass into Chemicals

(Bern University of Applied Sciences, August 27, 2020)

Non-edible plants, and lignocellulose in particular – biomass from plants like grass, leaves, and wood, which do not compete with food crops – offer a promising alternative to crude oil in the production of a variety of useful chemicals and fuels, but until recently, their heterogeneous composition has made it difficult to cost-effectively convert them using just one type of microorganism. To address this issue, a research team under BFH Professor Michael Studer, in collaboration with researchers from EPFL and Cambridge University, recently developed a process called “lactate platform,” in which a consortium of up to four different microorganisms engages in the conversion of lignocellulose into various chemicals. According to Studer, this technology “complements the existing toolkit for the successful development of effective communities of microorganisms for a wide range of other novel applications.”