Bioprospecting for lignocellulose biorefineries

Lignocellulosic biomass represents the most abundant renewable source of reduced carbon on the planet. Its exploitation for the production of platform chemicals and biofuels defines the biorefinery concept. Efficient biorefineries depend on a number of successful process steps, with the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass and the microbial transformation of the resulting hydrolysates being the key ones. In the present talk, we will summarize the recent work of our lab on enzyme and microbial bioprospecting for the identification of efficient biorefinery biocatalysts. The talk will focus towards two main directions; i) the characterization and modification of fungal and bacterial species that represent promising candidates for consolidated approaches in bioethanol production, and ii)  the identification and construction of enzymes, enzyme modules and microbial chassis for the establishment of a "thermophilic" biorefinery.