Lignin is a key obstacle to extracting sugars from biomass. Researchers have redesigned lignin to include weak bonds, or “zips,” which make it much easier to break apart. Credit: Shawn Mansfield, UBC
Who We Are
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is a U.S. Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Center led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With Michigan State University and other partners, we are developing sustainable biofuels and bioproducts made from dedicated energy crops grown on marginal lands. Our mission is simple: creating biofuels and bioproducts that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
Research Themes
Sustainable cropping systems
Engineering bioenergy crops to enhance their environmental and economic value
GLBRC News
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientists at Michigan State University have developed a groundbreaking machine learning system capable of predicting nitrous oxide emissions from U.S. croplands with unprecedented accuracy, a finding with valuable implications for national greenhouse gas accounting and mitigation.
Bacteria and other microbes can convert plant fibers into sustainable fuels and chemicals used to make plastics, medicines, and other products. But chemicals used in processing or in the plants themselves are an obstacle because they can kill the cells or slow fermentation. Researchers are looking for ways to modify natural efflux pumps to selectively remove these toxins, but testing the vast number of possible variations is impractical using traditional lab techniques. Data generated for this project are being used to train artificial intelligence models to predict which mutations are most likely to be effective.