An article from The Sacramento Business Journal has spotlighted a company that’s shifting some gears and making more room for research in ethanol production. Celia Lamb reports that Novozymes Inc., part of Davis biotechnology company – a company that focuses on industrial enzyme research – is investing in additional space and personnel to boost it’s resources for ethanol exploration. Here’s a portion of that article:

Davis biotechnology company Novozymes Inc. plans to add about 35 scientists and a 20,000-square-foot laboratory building by the end of 2009.

It’s part of a bigger U.S. expansion for parent company Novozymes A/S, based in Denmark. The parent company, which has $1.5 billion in annual revenue and 4,500 employees nationwide, is riding a wave of technological advancements and increasing demand in the industrial enzyme business.

In the past few years, it has expanded its research focus to include developing enzymes to break down plant cellulose and make ethanol fuel. The company is increasing the number of scientists working on that technology, company president Ejner Bech Jensen said.