DISCOVERY OF NEW BIOCATALYSTS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Prof. Gianfranco Gilardi, Dr. Francesca Valetti, Dr. Gianluca Catucci
Keywords: hydrogen, lignin, bioenergy, bioeconomy, waste treatment
The research is focused on the discovery and cloning of new enzymes from microorganisms for their exploitation as biocatalysts for biomass conversion, including lignin, and biohydrogen production. Protein engineering is also applied to increase their performances.
The research is focused on different enzymes:
- Hydrogenases. A particular emphasis is given to the study of redox enzymes as [FeFe]-hydrogenases and non-heme oxygenases of high applicative relevance in the fields of biofuels production. Different strains containing these enzymes are available and they are used to produce hydrogen from different sources, including urban and industrial waste.
- Laccases and peroxidases. New bacterial enzymes that can be exploited in lignin degradation for biofuels production have been recently identified. The project aims to clone them for expression in heterologous systems for characterization. In particular, they can provide new enzymatic tools to be used for biocatalytic purposes.
Morra S, et al. (2012) PLOS ONE 7(10): e48400. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048400