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Biotech / Medical : Biotech News -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Doc Bones who wrote (1114)	9/11/2001 9:15:52 AM
From: nigel bates	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7143

[Further off-topic rant] This should cheer you up a little - PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Genencor International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GCOR - news) today announced that it has achieved its first technical milestone in its three-year contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biofuels Program administered by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Genencor developed and validated processes for improved cellulase enzymes that meet the intended objective at one-half the cost of currently available technologies. ``Advances in molecular biology and functional genomics enable us to push the frontiers of commercial development and we're pleased to be making progress toward developing new enzyme systems to accomplish the goal of this project,'' said Michael Arbige, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief technology officer. The goal of the program is to develop new enzyme systems for the economic conversion of plant matter (biomass) into fuel ethanol and other valuable materials. The DOE has determined that the cost of converting biomass into useable form is a critical stumbling block to producing biofuels and chemicals from renewable raw materials. An economic source of renewable carbon is a critical factor in enabling the development of ``biorefineries'' to take their place alongside traditional oil refineries. ``Instead of geology, we're using biology to drill for carbon,'' said Thomas Pekich, group vice president, bioproducts of Genencor. ``The development of biorefineries should create a huge new market for bioproducts. There will be a lot of winners, including consumers, farmers and the environment.'' Specifically, Genencor and NREL are working to deliver enzyme systems enabling a 10-fold improvement in the economics of breaking down cellulosic material (plant matter) and other complex carbohydrates into fermentable sugars. These sugars are the raw materials necessary for further refining into ethanol, organic chemicals and other bioproducts like plastics. The project is part of a national effort supported by the Bush administration and the U.S. Congress, to develop and expand the use of renewable energy sources. The benefits to the national balance of trade, the environment and to an improved rural economy are well known. ``The United States is the world's leader in agriculture and biotechnology and the Department's biomass research and development efforts take advantage of that position,'' said David Garman, the U.S. Department of Energy's Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ``The President's Energy Policy promotes the development of renewable energy sources and we look to biomass for significant contributions to reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.''...