While investigating Clostridium thermocellum performance, researchers at NREL and BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) discovered that said microorganism utilizes common cellulase degradation mechanisms – free enzymes and scaffolded enzyme attached to cell – and new category of scaffolded enzymes not attached to cell. Paper reporting this discovery's potential, "Dramatic performance of Clostridium Thermocellum explained by its wide range of cellulase modalities," appears in Science Advances.