Mara Renewables Corporation is an Atlantic Canadian producer of algal-based bio-products. The company is**seeking to expand its production to include biofuels, but it is currently limited by the high cost of carbon**sources. The goal of this project is to develop a metabolic model capable to identifying a genetic engineering**strategy that would enable the company's microalgae to use hemicellulose - a byproduct of the pulp and paper**industry, produced in large quantities in Nova Scotia and Canada more broadly. Hemicellulose is primarily**composed of five-carbon (C5) sugar, which the microalgae are not able to process effectively. The project will**focus on using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis to identify the metabolic role of C5 sugar and**integrate this data into a model to determine how to increase C5 utilization through genetic engineering. A**successful outcome will enable Mara to produce cheap and sustainable biofuel, benefiting the Canadian**consumer and Canadian industry through export potential and further economic development.**