Chemistry Department is pleased to host Chemistry and Biochemistry Seminar Series Virtually, Tuesday’s at 12:10 pm. Please see Ithaca College Chemistry web page.
Guest Speaker Dr. Paul Walton of University of York, York UK, will be joining us on Tuesday, October 13th at 12:10 pm will present:
Cellulosic Bioethanol—the Holy Grail of biofuels, and how a recently discovered copper enzyme might actually make it a reality.
LPMOs are recently discovered copper-containing enzymes that catalyze the oxidative cleavage of cellulose. This reaction is important as cellulose is seen as a potentially sustainable feedstock for the production of fuels. Indeed, LPMOs have transformed our understanding of biomass degradation, and—moreover—are now critical components in the enzymatic breakdown of biomass in the second generation bioethanol industry.1 In this talk I will describe our role in the discovery of LPMOs and their unusual active site which we called the histidine brace. I will also describe then also how we have examined their unusual chemistry using a combination of X-ray structures and spectroscopy. Finally I will mention how LPMOs are used in biofuel production in biorefineries around the world.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Paula Larsen at plarsen@ithaca.edu . We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20201008223940141