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"The demand for renewable energy is increasing
and biofuels from lignocellulose, like bioethanol and biobutanol, are
a sustainable alternative energy source." |
Dr. Gunter Festel founded the advisory and investment firm FESTEL CAPITAL with headquarters in the Swiss Cantone Zug. His company specialises in the commercialisation of technologies in the areas of energy, environment, health, materials and nutrition, and invests in selected companies, preferably in early stages.
Up to the end of 2002, he was a member of the management team and head of the consulting for the chemical and healthcare industry with Arthur D. Little in Zurich and a consultant with McKinsey. He started his career with Bayer, where he held various management positions in R&D and marketing.
Gunter Festel holds a PhD in chemistry and a PhD in management & economics, a BA in business studies and MA in economics. Furthermore, he has a Master of Advanced Studies in Corporate Finance. He is co-founder and member of the advisory board of the Association for Chemistry & Economics within the German Chemical Society. |
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"Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the best organism for the biotechnological production of biofuels and biochemicals." |
Professor Dr. Eckhard Boles is professor of Molecular Biosciences at J.W. Goethe Universität Frankfurt since 2002. His research is focused on metabolic engineering of yeast strains for industrial purposes and transport of nutrients across the yeast plasma membrane.
He has strong experience in using molecular genetics and molecular biology methods to study and manipulate sugar metabolism in yeast.
He has published more than 60 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, and contributed to 10 important patents in the field of yeast biotechnology. Landmark patents were the construction of the first recombinant yeast strain able to ferment the pentose sugar L-arabinose and the cloning of the first bacterial xylose isomerase enabling yeast cells to ferment xylose efficiently into ethanol. |
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