© University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment
© University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment

Project receives grant for biogas enzyme research

Biobased solutions company DuPont Industrial Biosciences has received a grant to demonstrate high-efficiency enzyme production to increase biogas yields as part of the DEMETER project.

Enzyme technology has been proven to improve biogas yields and process robustness, ultimately increasing customers’ revenue and profitability while increasing offerings in renewable energy.

The DEMETER project is expected to demonstrate a yield increase and cost reduction in the production process for biogas enzymes. The project includes a value chain of biogas experts and is expected to be completed over the next three years.

Conrad Burke, global marketing director at DuPont, said: “DuPont is proud to be a partner in project DEMETER and to apply our decades of experience in the global industrial enzyme business to supporting the continued growth of the biogas sector in the EU and around the world.

“Ultimately, this project will demonstrate to biomethane producers the power of enzymes to improve biogas yields and process robustness, ultimately increasing their revenue and profitability.”

The grant will be used to improve and scale-up the enzyme-producing fermentation process to reach a cost reduction of at least 15% and to demonstrate the efficiency of the enzymes in biogas field trials in Europe.