This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop yeast strains to efficiently catalyze the conversion of cellulose to ethanol. Current technology requires the addition of purified cellulase enzymes to convert cellulose to glucose, which is then fermented to alcohol by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proposed research intends to make three significant improvements over the existing technology : (1) Use of a high temperature tolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus to effect a very efficient fermentation, (2) Expression of genes encoding cellulase in the fermenting yeast, and 3) Isolation and selection of the yeast and the cellulase genes from the cellulosic waste specifically for optimal performance. The commercial applications of this project are in the reduction of cellulose waste material produced by agriculture and industry, and in the production of a cost effective fuel grade ethanol.
