NEMO - NOVEL HIGH PERFORMANCE ENZYMES AND MICRO-ORGANISMS FOR CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS TO BIOETHANOL

Currently, nearly all bioethanol to be used as transportation fuel is produced using the 1st generation technology, which is mainly based on the use of sugarcane or corn as raw material. The aim of the NEMO project is to develop the next, 2nd generation production technology based on the utilisation of lignocellulose based agricultural and forestry residues in the production of ethanol. The project will focus on technology development needed for cost-effective production of the next generation biofuel. 

Agricultural and forestry waste consists mainly of lignocellulose, which is composed of sugars but in a form that makes them difficult to be used by microbes in the production of ethanol. The project develops enzymes that can be used to hydrolyse ligno-cellulose into sugars suitable for microbial fermentation. The objective is also to tailor the metabolism of yeasts so that they can produce ethanol from the biomass sugars economically and efficiently in large scale processes. The project evaluates the suitability of the developed enzymes and yeast strains for industrial biofuel manufacturing.

The NEMO project is funded by the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7), the European Union's chief instrument for funding research over the period from 2007 to 2013.