Process development has reached a 46 kL stage with 90 % yields based on biomass sugar content. Biomass hydrolysis is done by dilute sulfuric acid. The Napier grass is from Indonesia, and the yeast was engineered to utilize both glucose and xylase, by activating the pentose phosphate cycle and cloning a xylose isomerase from termites intestinal bacteria. In addition, the recombinant yeast can assimilate acetate.
57th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Biotechnology, Kagoshima, Oct. 28, 2015, Poster 3P-189
Toyota Motor close to commercialize yeast-based bioethanol based on Napier grass as a drop-in fuel.