Department of Geosciences
and Natural Resource Management

Biomass Science and Technology

Increased utilisation of biomass in our society is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change

The research group, Biomass Science and Technology, contributes to both fundamental and applied aspects of the sustainable utilisation of biomass for materials, chemicals, and bioenergy by the creation of knowledge and development of technologies within this subject area.

This includes a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and physical properties of the cell walls in plants, and how this intricate biocomposite interacts with external factors (e.g. biological agents, chemicals, catalysts, and water) during processing or use. It also includes studies of molecular level interactions, between plant cell wall polymers and fungi, enzymes, water, and chemical reagents, as well as attention to sustainability aspects, as technologies are transferred from laboratory scale to industrial scale biomass utilisation.

Advanced biofuels and materials

On the applied side of our research you will find biochemical conversion of biomass to advanced biofuels (bioethanol, biogas and marine shipping fuels) as well as utilisation of wood and wood-based materials for construction purposes. We are interested in both obtaining a fundamental understanding of the structure-function relationships of woody materials and in utilisation of this knowledge for development and optimisation of processes for the production of biobased commodities. Thus, deconstruction of lignocellulose is central to our work, both for protection of biobased structural elements during service life, as well as during the production of biobased chemicals and fuels.

Plant cell wall chemistry - degradation mechanisms in wood

Decomposition of wood cell walls is an essential theme in such diverse areas as wood construction, biorefining, conversion of woody biomass in Nature and preservation of archaeological wood. Within the topic of wood deconstruction we seek to obtain a better understanding of degradation mechanisms in wood, especially how these are influenced by water, from biophysical studies of physical and chemical effects of degradation in wood cell walls. The aim of our work is to improve knowledge and methods for preventing fungal degradation in wood constructions and for boosting plant biomass decomposition for efficient biorefining.

Research projects

ENACT - Enzymes and electrons at work; dual processing of carbohydrates and lignin producing prebiotic oligosaccharides and bioactive lignins (Innovations Fonden, 2018 - 2020). Contact: Benedikt Möllers Blossom
HOPE - Harnessing the oxidative power of enzymes (NovoNordisk Foundation, Grant number NNF17SA0027704, 2017-2022). Contact: Katja Salomon Johansen
Harnessing the Energy of the Sun for Biomass Conversion (Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme, NovoNordisk Foundation, 2017-2020). Contact: Benedikt Möllers Blossom
Extreme resolution Raman-AFM bioimaging of wood under decay - learning wood preservation from trees (Villum Fonden, 2016-2019) Contact: Lisbeth Thygesen
Alcohol based process for wood furfurylation (Oslofjordfondet, 2017-2020). Contact: Lisbeth Thygesen
Demonstration of 2G ethanol production in full scale. Collaboration between KU, DTU, Novozymes and Maarbjerg Energy Center, about optimizing 2G bioethanol production. (2016-2019) Contact: Sune Tjalfe Thomsen
MainCoat: New innovative coating system for maintenance and renovation of exterior wood. (Innovation Fund Denmark, 2017-2019). Contact: Emil Engelund Thybring
The role of water in plant cell wall decomposition: from biorefining to wood protection
The threat of wood degrading fungi to Greenland’s cultural heritage
The structure and interaction of silica in plant cell walls
Centre for Development and Implementation of Biotechnology for Bioenergy (Bio4Bio)
Kalundborg Cellulosic Ethanol Project (KACELLE) International network IEA Bioenergy Task 39 and 42
High Gravity Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Lignocellulosic Material for Production of Biofuels
Wood-polymer composites for use in marine environments
Superior Biobased Coating System for Exterior Wood Applications
Increasing the Biomass Resource, its Quality and Sustainability (BIORESOURCE)
A unique technique, combined with smart structural design to develop a new class of biobased fibre composite material