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Project Information |
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Name: Xingyu Zhou Group Category: 10-12 Team Size: 1 Project
Type: Experimental Language: English Summary: Cellulosic materials are one of the main renewable resources available in large quantities which could meet our future energy needs. Today, the extent of solid waste production is becoming a global concern. The development of methods to convert solid waste into usable bioproducts is beneficial to our environment and our energy needs. In this project, four types of wastepaper (office paper, newsprint, cardboard, paper towel), a major component of domestic solid waste, were treated with commercial cellulases from T. viride, T. reesei, and A. niger with or without the addition of cellobiase from A. niger (Novozyme® 188). The conversion of the cellulose component from wastepaper into sugars was measured by the Dinitrosalicylic Acid Assay, a Glucose Kit and thin-layer chromatography. All of the examined wastepaper can be degraded by the cellulases to a certain degree, with the paper towel showing the highest degree of hydrolysis. Among the tested enzymes, cellulase from T. reesei (Celluclast® 1.5L) showed the highest activity in paper degradation, especially in combination with Novozyme®188. The longer the incubation time was, the closer the reaction approached 100% degradation. A temperature increase from 25ºC to 37ºC accelerated the degradation reaction more than two times while a further temperature increase to 50ºC did not significantly improve the process. Glucose was the only identified sugar when Celluclast® 1.5L was combined with Novozyme® 188 in the reaction. The results here show that wastepaper may be used to produce glucose, the substrate for ethanol, one of the most important renewable fuels in the world. Software
Tools: Hardware
Tools: Source
of Idea: In North America, biofuels are mostly made from corn, which is a staple food product. As a result, the amount of food decreased, which caused economic problems worldwide. I became interested in finding a way to obtain biofuels from non-food sources. Awards: This project won the top prize in the open category at the Saskatoon Sanofi-Aventis Biotech Challenge and the Monsanto Commercialization Special Award and could compete at the national Sanofi-Aventis Biotech Challenge in Ottawa in May. This project is also a part of Team Canada going to the 2009 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May. Previous Projects: 2005 - Salt Tolerance: Will Biotechnology Help? http://www.odec.ca/projects/2005/zhou5x0/public_html/ 2006 - One Shade Too Dark: Tale of Condensed Tannins in Faba Bean Seed Coats http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/zhou6x2/index.htm 2007 - Peeling Away Problems: The Antioxidating, Antimicrobial, and Antimutagenic Effects of Tree Bark http://www.odec.ca/projects/2007/zhou7x2/index.html 2008 - Peeling Away Problems 2: The Antioxidizing, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Effects of Tree Bark http://www.odec.ca/projects/2008/zhou8x2/ |