Method for saving energy in paper production

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of paper production, more in particular it relates to the process of wood pulping. It provides useful biological methods and compounds for reducing the energy requirements of the production of wood pulp. It describes a method for reducing the energy requirement of a thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP) process wherein cellulose fibers are recovered from a biomass comprising lignocellulosic material, wherein the lignocellulosic material is treated with a CotA laccase before recovering the cellulose from the lignocellulosic material.

1 .- 20 . (canceled). 
     
     
         21 . A vector comprising:
 a nucleic acid molecule encoding a protein having laccase activity and having a primary amino acid sequence having at least 99% sequence identity with the sequence of COT1 (SEQ ID NO:1) or COT2 (SEQ ID NO:2); and   a polynucleotide heterologous to the nucleic acid molecule encoding a protein having laccase activity.   
     
     
         22 . The vector of  claim 21 , wherein the protein having laccase activity is COT1 (SEQ ID NO:1) or COT2 (SEQ ID NO:2). 
     
     
         23 . Wood chips comprising the vector of  claim 21 .