In recent decades, scientists have sought solutions to improve the sustainable production of biofuels from renewable sources. The latest advance in this field was announced at the end of May by Brazilian researchers and could boost the production of sustainable biofuels for aviation and maritime shipping.
“After three and a half years of research, we identified an enzyme that can replace the traditional catalysts used in thermochemical routes for the production of aviation biokerosene,” said LetĂcia Zanphorlin, principal investigator for the project and head of the Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR) at the Brazilian National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM).
The enzyme discovered by the CNPEM group is OleTPRN, a polyunsaturated alkene-producing decarboxylase belonging to the cytochrome P450 superfamily.
This metalloenzyme derived from the bacterium Rothia nasimurium promises to be the key to development of novel biotechnological routes in