The deconstruction of cellulose is essential for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. But cellulose, the most abundant renewable polymer on the planet, is extremely recalcitrant to ...

Cel7A cellulase enzymes (gold) are inhibited when breaking down cellulose (green) by the product, cellobiose, at both the “front door" (1) and “back door" (2) of the Cel7A tunnel, and by two other ...

Made up of tiny threads known as cellulose microfibrils, plant cell walls are important for regulating a plant's growth and protecting them from pests and pathogens. Previously, only one route for ...

AMES, Iowa – Yan Zhao gestured toward the trees outside his campus window on a rainy afternoon. The professor of chemistry at Iowa State University is developing new synthetic catalysts to break down ...

The fluid-holding device designed by Holman and Zhao, which is held in front of an infrared beam to study the change in atomic bonds in sample of molecules. Research from Lawrence Berkeley National ...

Visitors to Cameron Currie’s laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison used to be mesmerized by a demonstration colony of leaf-cutting ants in the lobby. When the microbiologist announced his ...

Researchers have uncovered details of how a certain type of bacteria breaks down cellulose -- a finding that could help reduce the cost and environmental impact of the use of biomass, including ...