SUPERVISOR: Roland LUDWIG

PROJECT ASSIGNED TO: Hucheng CHANG

Lignocellulose would be a renewable alternative to fossil fuels as a source for fuels and materials. The emerging markets for products derived from this abundant nature polymer have attracted considerable interest in their high efficient conversion. Nowadays, most processes for the deconstruction of lignocellulosic materials are based on thermal treatments and hydrolysis using acids, bases or organic solvents. Enzymatic degradation usually takes action in a later stage of product treatments. However, enzymes or their cascade are expected to achieve the satisfying selective deconstruction and effective separation of biomass, since nature has already evolved and perfected this task by employing complex enzymatic systems as highly specialised biocatalysts.
In particular, filamentous fungi have evolved a sophisticated, finely coordinated system of different enzymes acting synergistically to deconstruct various plant biomass. While catalysis by fungal glycoside hydrolyses has been investigated in detail for decades, the role of fungal extracellular oxidoreductases that are secreted to initiate the further degradation of lignocellulose recently became a focus of scientific interest. A prerequisite to establishing efficient enzymatic processes utilizing complex lignocellulosic material is the comprehensive understanding of the distribution, interactions, and kinetics of these enzymes. In my thesis, ultraultramicroelectrodes (UMEs), scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence microscopy will be developed to study the enzyme binding and localization of various fungal enzymes in-situ.
The outcome would reveal more realistic lignocellulose degrading processes and mechanisms by fungal enzymes especially oxidoreductases.