CRISPR gene editing offers promising solution to reduce environmental impact of paper industry: Report

Using CRISPR gene-editing tools to grow engineered trees, researchers have made a breakthrough in reducing the environmental impact of paper production.

They’ve successfully grown poplar trees with significantly less lignin, a woody material present in plants.

The process separation of this lignin during the papermaking process is what typically generates millions of tonnes of chemical waste and substantial greenhouse gas emissions each year.

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What will these genetically-engineered trees do?

As per a study published in Science, milling these engineered trees could lead to a substantial reduction in papermaking pollution while also saving the industry billions of dollars.

Traditionally, paper production involves cutting wood into small chips, with poplars being a common source due to their fast growth.

Water and chemicals are added to extract cellulose fibres from the tough lignin structures, which is then used to form a wet pulp that is pressed and dried into paper.

Previous efforts to reduce lignin content in trees have yielded modest results. However, the researchers behind this study took a different approach by targeting the genes responsible for regulating overall lignin production.

Using CRISPR gene editing, the team led by Jack Wang and Rodolphe Barrangou, biotechnologists at North Carolina State University built a computer model, and evaluated approximately 70,000 gene-editing combinations in poplar trees to identify changes that would enhance cellulose production and reduce lignin content.

They successfully identified 347 combinations that showed potential improvements for papermaking.

How will these benefit the paper industry?

After implementing the gene changes associated with the most promising combinations, the engineered trees demonstrated a 49.1 per cent reduction in lignin content and a 228 per cent increase in cellulose-to-lignin ratio.

Implementing these varieties in a typical paper mill could increase paper output by 40 per cent, and also reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 per cent. This can result in approximately $1 billion in additional profits.

The way forward

While these findings offer promising solutions for the paper industry, as per Barrangou further steps are necessary. He says that field trials are required to ensure that the engineered trees can grow to maturity and withstand real-world conditions, including wind storms and insect protection.

Regulatory approval is also needed, although the fact that the engineered trees do not contain transgenes — genes from other organisms — may facilitate the acceptance process.

Wang and Barrangou, who re behind a spin-off company called TreeCo, now plan to conduct field trials for CRISPR-edited poplars and are exploring similar gene edits in eucalyptus and pine trees, which are also widely used in paper production.

(With inputs from agencies)

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