INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES FOR SUSTAINABLE BIO-ECONOMY:Large scale production and application in industry, environment, and

agriculture

Amare Gessesse

Nelson Mandela African institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania

First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

Participating laboratoriesNo. Academic Institution Country1 Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and

Technology (NM-AIST)Tanzania

2 Addis Ababa University Ethiopia

3 University of Nairobi Kenya

4 University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania

5 National University of Rwanda Rwanda

6 Lund University Sweden

7 Natnl Inst for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology India

Industrial partners8 Leather Industry Development Institute Ethiopia

9 Modjo Tannery Ethiopia

10 Sumbawanga Agriculture and Animal Food Industry Tanzania

11 Bekas Chemicals Plc Ethiopia

Major Aim

Use the region’s biodiversity as a source of Novel Industrial Enzymes!

Africa’s Biodiversity

Produsts from Our Microbial Biodiversity

pH > 10> 95°C

> 73°C

Industry AgricultureEnvironment

Leather tanning

Starch processing

Detergent

Textile

Chemical/Pharmaceutical

Food processing

Degradation of residual waste

Detoxification of toxic substances

Animal feed additive

Feed processing

Agroprocessing

Industrial Enzymes

Protein hydrolysis

Biofuel

Advantages of using industrial enzymes?

Direct

• Foreign currency• Export of enzymes• Value addition to raw

materials

• Job creation• Enzyme production• Value addition

Indirect

• Reduction in environmental pollution

• Cleaner production

• Help to save foreign currency

• Example: the leather industry

Current Worldwide Industrial Enzyme Production

• Over 120 enzyme companies

• Dominated by Europe and North America

• Control >90% of the world industrial enzyme market

• None from SS Africa

• Enormous potential in SS Africa

Europe and North America control >90% of world enzyme market

Why?

Source: www.worldmapper.org

Africa’s Performance in Science & Technology

Tertiary Education

Patent registration

Population

Scientific research

Research on enzymes

Alkaline proteases

pH profile of AL-20 (A) and AL-89 proteases (B) Temperature profile of AL-20

(A) and AL-89 proteases (B)

Time (min)

0 50 100 150 200

Res

idua

l act

ivity

(%)

0

20

40

60

80

100

EDTA treated and assayed with EDTANo EDTA and assayed with 10 mM Ca2+

Stability of AL-20 protease with and without EDTA treatment

Time (min)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Res

idua

l act

ivity

(%)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Stability of AL-20 protease to EDTA treatment

65°C

70°C

Arial

Time (min)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Res

idua

l act

ivity

(%)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Via

Time (min)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Res

idua

l act

ivity

(%)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Fig.4. Effect of detergents on stability of AL-20 protease and other proteases. AL-20 protease at 60°C (circle), subtilisin at 50°C (square), protenase K at 60°C (triangle), and endogenous enzyme at 50°C (diamond)

Use of a new fungal neutral protease isolated at AAU for bating

Test Unit Comm. enzyme

Protease BACC 480

Tensile strength N/mm2 28.2 29.5

Percentage elongation % 59.4 68.1

Tear load N/mm 39.7 37.7

Mean tear load (parallel to the back bone) N 28.0 24.0

Mean tear load (perpendicular to the back) N 28.0 29.0

Average tear load N 28.0 26.5

Distension at burst mm 11.8 11.2

Tested at the Leather Industry Development Institute, Addis Ababa

(Tested with staff from LIDI)

Alkaline protease from alkaliphiles

• Several alkaline protease producers

• From soda lakes

• Example: • Vibrio sp R-11 protease• Interesting application for

dehairing

(Buffer alone) (Buffer + enzyme)

Sheep skin

Cow hide

(Buffer alone) (Buffer + enzyme)

Enzyme production potential benefits

• In enzyme production• Substrate account for 30 – 40% of

the cost• Here we use hair & mineral salt

solution

• Use of the enzyme lead to reduction in pollution

• Na2S

• Lime• Protein

• Reduction in import• Na2S

• Other chemicals

Detergent applications

• Detergent industry• Alkaline proteases• Alkaline amylases

• Protein hydrolysis• Microbiological media• Animal feed• Food application

• Enzyme production cost• Considered as key

As detergent additive

Enzymes for processing of starch containing crops

• Starch sources• Cassava• Enset• Cereals

• Products• Glucose• Fructose• Maltose• Confectionary• Jams• Beverages• etc

Animal feed

• Feed utilization by monogastric animals

• Unable to digest pentosatans

• Low availability of phosphate

• Enzymes• Xylanases• Phytase

Xylanase and cellulase activities of T. reesei Rut C-30 (Mulaa et al.)

Pulp and paper industry

Microbial Strain

Submerged fermentation

Cell separation

Enzyme Concentrate

Enzyme Stabilization

Enzyme product

Solid state fermentation

Extraction & separationBiomass

Cell free supernatant

Animal Feed

Solvent recovery

Solvent

SupernatantSpent

Biogas

Compost

Compost

Main considerations

• Nature of the organism• Growth under SSF or

SmF• Depend on the organism

• Relative enzyme yield• SSF • SmF

• Cost • Initial investment• Product recovery• Growth substrate

• Environmental issues• Reduction of pollution• Serve as a model

• Byproduct utilization for cost reduction

• Feed• Biogas• Compost

Scaling up fermentation process?

• Mode of fermentation• Solid state fermentation• Submerged fermentation

• Organisms• Bacteria• Fungi

• Enzymes• Proteases• Amylases• Xylanases, etc

Gap in the transfer of research results to commercial products

• The gap• How to scale up?• Absence of private sector

(or is risk avert)• Lack of entrepreneurship

skill in academia• Capital• Lack of role models

• Important to bridge the gap

Can we change course?

• Scale up production• Pilot scale

• Evaluation under application condition

• Stabilization

• Collaboration with end users

• Ultimately• Can we establish new

companies?

If yes, what do new companies need?

• Proper care• Public sector• Creation of an enabling

environment

• Those in academia must • Learn entrepreneurship

skills• Proactive

We need to jump big!

We need to jump big!

Thank you!