The core research program of the NSERC Bioconversion Network is arranged into four themes, each addressing a significant challenge in lignocellulosic biomass conversion as follows:

1. Increasing the efficacy of lignocellulosic substrate pretreatment, in order to separate chemical components of the wood and increase overall yields;
2. Increasing the effectiveness and reducing the cost of enzymatic hydrolysis to release monomeric sugars from pretreated lignocellulosic substrates;
3. Developing improved yeast strains able to tolerate the inhibitors and ferment all the hexose and pentose sugars in lignocellulosic substrates to ethanol; and
4. Investigating the production of valuable co-products from the lignin and hemicellulose streams, as well as aspects of process scale-up, in terms of overall process economics.

Each objective is addressed by a group of researchers, who will collectively undertake inter-related projects using common feedstocks and substrates to systematically investigate these issues.  The first three themes will connect naturally, following the bioconversion process through pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation.  The fourth theme will act as an overarching body, collecting data from all research projects and providing feedback to the rest of the Network.