Ferulic acid: a key component in grass lignocellulose recalcitrance to hydrolysis

What is it about?

Professor of Biochemistry at State University of Maringa (Parana, Brazil). Interested in 1) plant cell wall (architecture, biosynthesis and composition); biomass to biofuels (enzymatic digestion, chemical conversion, pyrolysis and gasification) ; 2) chemical communication (allelochemicals, semiochemicals, biosignaling, code biology); and chemical evolution (autopoiesis, semiopoiesis, resynthesis of asymmetric organocatalysts, wet artificial life).

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Why is it important?

1) Plant biomass (remarkably cell wall components) is the only sustainable raw material able to completely replace fossil fuels in a observable horizon of technological development. In face of the global warming it is essential to accelerate the transition from fossil to renewable mode of production. 2) Organocatalysts can convey information and are produced in prebiotic reactions. It makes them strong candidates to convey information in pre-polymeric chemical evolution and to convey catalytic information in artificial biosystems. Artificial forms of life can revolutionize the manufacturing processes allowing the production of self-constructing and self-healing materials that can have great impact on artificial photosynthesis, corrosion engineering and sustainable development.

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