(Repeats Tuesday story, no changes to text)
* Three of four advanced biofuel plants use Novozymes enzymes
* Biomass conversion could transform Novozymes in future
* Biofuel sector in continuing U.S. regulatory battle
By Sabina Zawadzki
COPENHAGEN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - When Denmark's Novozymes first wondered in 2000 how its mass-produced enzymes could be used to make advanced biofuel, the industry did not exist and only now is the fruit of its labour emerging after years of being lampooned as a "fantasy fuel".
But as commercial production of transportation fuel made from plant waste rather than valuable corn finally starts in the United States, Brazil and Europe, Novozymes has already turned its gaze towards bioplastics and even diapers.
With the biofuels sector waging a drawn-out regulatory battle with 'Big Oil' over potentially damaging cuts to biofuel targets in the United States, Novozymes says it has contingency plans.
In addition to fuel, the younger sibling of Danish drugs group Novo Nordisk has set its sights on biomass conversion of plant waste into other products derived from petroleum, such as plastics and acrylic acid, the super-absorber that makes diapers work.
As the world's largest enzyme maker, Novozymes produces proteins that are catalysts used to speed chemical reactions that have a wide array of applications, from boosting the efficiency of washing powder to pre-treating processed food, brewing beer or making animal feed more nutritious.
Within the energy sector, which contributes about 17 percent of its 12 billion Danish crowns ($2 billion) in annual revenue, its enzymes accelerate the process of turning feedstock into as much sugar as possible to be fermented with yeast into ethanol.
BREAKTHROUGH
While it is not technically impossible to get fuel from corn and plant waste without enzymes, the proteins are critical if the process is to be commercially viable.
The difficulty has been second-generation cellulosic ethanol made from unwanted natural plant waste - a process complicated by the toughness and chemical complexity of the feedstock.
"It's probably the biggest R&D project we have ever, ever undertaken," Thomas Videbaek, Novozymes' executive vice-president and head of business development, said from its sprawling complex of offices and laboratories near Copenhagen.
"We've taken it a very long way from when we couldn't fight back when people called it a fantasy fuel. Now we're getting to the point where it is here - we have a facility in Italy."
Novozymes partnered with Beta Renewables, part of Italian chemicals group Mossi Ghisolfi, to open the first commercial plant in Crescentino last October, with annual capacity of 19 million gallons a year (mgy).