Novozymes received the 2005 Technology Leadership of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan in the field of alternative fuel technologies for its pioneering research to reduce the enzyme cost for biomass-based fuel ethanol.
This spring Novozymes announced a 30-fold reduction in the enzyme cost of converting cellulosic biomass - in this case, corn stover - into fermentable sugars for use in fuel ethanol production. Because of Novozymes' work, enzymes are no longer the main economic barrier to the commercialization of biomass technology that could help reduce dependency on nonrenewable and petroleum-based energy and raw material sources.
"Needless to say, I'm delighted to accept this award on behalf of Novozymes' entire research team," said Glenn Nedwin, President of Novozymes in Davis, the research subsidiary that spearheaded the work. "What's especially heartening about this honor, though, is that it celebrates not only the promise of enzymes to make biomass a viable fuel source, but also the value of industrial biotechnology to solve real-world problems and promote a sustainable future."
Background
Under a $16.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Novozymes and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) began research in 2001 to dramatically cut the cost of converting cellulose biomass from corn stover into sugars for the production of fuel ethanol and other products.
By using its comprehensive range of proprietary biotech tools to identify new enzymes, engineer and boost catalytic activity, and increase production yield, Novozymes reduced the overall enzyme cost from more than US$5 to US$0.10-0.18 per gallon in laboratory tri
als. This 30-fold reduction was due to a combination of pretreatment technology developed by NREL and novel enzyme solutions from Novozymes.
According to Frost & Sullivan, Novozymes' revolutionary work will aid in making possible for today's garbage, such as corn cobs, corn stalks, wood pulp, wood chips, sugar cane leaves or rice straw, to be converted into tomorrow's fuel. Such alternative fuels are becoming more important as the U.S. imports more than a third of its petroleum needs from unstable foreign sources and as the world's finite petroleum-based reserves are being depleted. Frost & Sullivan's Technology Leader Awards are bestowed upon companies that have developed and introduced innovative technologies that promise to revolutionize their industry and/or other market sectors.
The world's leading biotech-based enzyme and microorganisms manufacturer, Novozymes is currently supplying a range of enzymes for corn-based fuel ethanol production, mainly in the U.S. Fuel ethanol production in the U.S. has grown rapidly in recent years totalling 3.5 billion gallons in 2004, up more than 20 percent.
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