Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, microbial, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as food products and amino acids.

The invention relates to the use of a strain of basidiomycete fungus belonging to the Polyporus brumalis species, for the fungal pretreatment of a lignocellulosic biomass in a solid medium.

The present invention relates to GH61 polypeptide variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

A thermostable xylanase having a xylanase catalytic domain including: (A) a polypeptide including the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, (B) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence in which at least one amino acid has been deleted, substituted, or added in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, and having xylanase activity at least under conditions of 85° C. and pH 6.0, or (C) a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence having 80% or greater sequence identity with the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, and having xylanase activity at least under conditions of 85° C. and pH 6.0.

The saccharification reaction mixture can saccharify at least one of cellulose and hemicellulose and contains, in a dispersion state, at least one of cellulose and hemicellulose, a saccharification enzyme, and colloidal silica. The ratio of the amount of the saccharification enzyme not immobilized on colloidal silica to the entire amount of the saccharification enzyme is 25% to 100%.

The present invention relates to polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing microfibrillated polysaccharide, preferably microfibrillated cellulose. The invention also relates to microfibrillated cellulose obtainable by the method and use of the microfibrillated cellulose. The method of manufacturing microfibrillated cellulose comprises the following steps: a) Providing a hemicellulose containing pulp, b) Providing wood degrading enzymes c) Mixing pulp and enzymes d) Keeping the mixture in a continuous, flowing system of essentially cylindrical geometry (for example in a plug-flow reactor), e) Conveying the mixture to one or more mixing zones for recirculating and homogenizing the mixture, and f) Harvesting microfibrillated cellulose with a relatively narrow size distribution during the recirculation.

The present invention relates to determination of the microorganism content in material comprising cellulose within the pulp and paper industry. The material comprising cellulose is enzymatically pretreated and microorganisms are determined using PCR based technology.

The present invention relates to a process for improving the strechability of films comprising high amounts of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) without negatively impacting the oxygen barrier properties. According to the present invention, a film is formed from a suspension comprising microfibrillated cellulose having a broad size distribution.

The invention relates to xylanases and to polynucleotides encoding the xylanases. In addition, methods of designing new xylanases and methods of use thereof are also provided. The xylanases have increased activity and stability at increased pH and temperature.