Fungal Enzymes for Industrial Processes and Environmental Remediation
Fungi are not exactly nature’s glamour children. And that’s too bad because the enzymes they produce could hold the key to some of our most pressing environmental and energy-related challenges.
Fungal enzymes already play a critical role in everything from brewing beer and baking bread to making wine and converting plant matter into biofuel. Now scientists are gaining a better understanding of exactly how these enzymes work.
Dr. Adrian Tsang of Concordia University in Montréal leads a group of researchers using the new tools of genomics to identify enzymes for industrial and environmental applications.
One area that holds tremendous potential is the pulp and paper industry. Each year, Canada produces about 30 million tonnes of pulp and paper. The sector employs more than 65,000 people and contributes about $17 billion to the Canadian economy. But it’s also the third most polluting industry in the country.
Dr. Tsang’s team is isolating enzymes that could replace the harsh chemicals currently used in pulping and bleaching. The fungal enzymes digest the brown lignin in wood, leaving the white cellulose behind for use in making paper.
"Not only will the environment be cleaner," says Dr. Tsang, "but Canada’s forest industry should become more competitive globally as consumers demand environmentally friendly products. What’s more, fungal enzymes are already being used widely in industry. They are versatile, can be used in challenging environments, are readily available and can be produced at low cost."
Enzymes are nature’s most efficient tools for decomposition. This means they might lend themselves to soil remediation, breaking down toxic substances so that the land becomes available for productive purposes.
Still another possibility is using enzymes to help meet Canada’s energy needs. The idea is to use enzymes to treat oil sands with a spray that would cause the sand to repel the oil. This would make extraction easier and much more economical.
Scientists are also developing enzyme technologies to convert used oil and fat into biodiesel and transform wood and plant biomass into ethanol. Work in this area has already produced two provisional patents, with more expected.
Sponsored in part by Genome Canada, the research of Dr. Tsang and his team has attracted international attention, including from the Dutch multinational DSM. A world leader in manufacturing enzymes for the food sector, DSM sees tremendous potential for novel enzymes to be applied in the production of bread, cheese and other foodstuff.
DSM’s Intellectual Asset Manager, Wim de Boer, points out, "Developing an enzyme which will keep bread fresher for even one day longer has enormous commercial and competitive advantages."
With global markets for industrial enzymes expected to reach $3.8 billion US by 2010, a spin- off company already in the works and multinational partners capable of commercializing new enzymes, this Canadian research project just might earn fungi – and the enzymes they produce – the respect they deserve.
