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Sustainable Bioenergy Cropping Systems
Untangling the 'Gordian's knot' of biofuels
GLBRC hosted a two-day conference to bridge traditional disciplinary divides and define a roadmap to guide lignin-based research over the coming decade.
As a postdoctoral researcher in the Hittinger Lab, John Crandall researches yeast species that produce lipids, fatty compounds that could serve as platforms for alternatives to fossil fuels and other resource-intensive products.
Some bacteria have features that make them good for understanding biology and for developing new technologies. For example, Zymomonas mobilis, Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, and Rhodobacter sphaeroides can convert carbon from plant fibers into liquid fuels and chemicals traditionally made from petroleum but need to be genetically modified to optimize their output. While straightforward genetic tools have been developed to modify Z. mobilis, it has been more challenging to modify the other two. In this study, researchers expanded the genetic toolkit for N. aromaticivorans and R. sphaeroides, making it easier to adjust the functions of individual genes.
Bioenergy crops like switchgrass can pull carbon dioxide from the air and store it in soil while also providing a source of sustainable fuel. But gains in productivity are needed in order to be commercially viable. So researchers combined genetic data with field measurements taken at 10 sites across the central United States to show how large field experiments can be used to improve production.
The goal is to use lignin to produce valuable aromatic chemicals – hexagonal molecules such as benzene, toluene, and xylene – that are currently derived from petroleum as part of the refining process. What sets the project apart is the new reactor design allows scientists to gather data that will help improve the process at larger scales.
Back in 2010, Jeff Vinokur was a college student with an interest in biofuels when he donned a rhinestone lab coat, busted some dance moves and launched a career as a science educator.
Lignocellulosic biomass, the woody parts of plants, is made of two types of sugars bound together by lignin. Lignin contains ring-shaped compounds known as aromatics that can be a source of valuable products traditionally derived from fossil fuels, but it's hard to pull these individual chemicals out of the mix. Some bacteria can convert plant-based aromatics into chemicals used to make plastics, but there are challenges to getting high yields.
GLBRC co-investigator Vatsan Raman, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry, is among thirteen faculty to be honored with the H.I. Romnes Fellowships which recognize faculty with exceptional research contributions in the first six years after promotion to a tenured position.
Understanding how these proteins function can help researchers breed plants that are more resilient to death conditions.
Eric Hegg, a co-investigator with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, has been recommended to serve as the next dean of Michigan State University’s College of Natural Science effective Sept. 1, 2024.
Caleb Geissler is a fifth year PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University. With projects ranging from supply chain optimization to studying biofuels and carbon capture and storage on a national scale, his work generally centers on the application of mathematical optimization to renewable energy systems and sustainability.
