DOE Bioenergy Research Centers: Advances in Conversion and Sustainability
ID: 3736

Abstract: The Department of Energy’s Office of Science has established three major multidisciplinary DOE Bioenergy Research Centers to accelerate the basic scientific research needed to develop cost-effective methods of producing cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels. The Centers represent the leading edge of the Department’s basic science research effort aimed at creating the scientific and technological foundations for a new U.S. biofuels economy. The establishment of the Centers reflects the Department’s conviction that transformational breakthroughs in basic science will be essential to make plant fiber-based biofuels feasible as a cost-effective substitute for a substantial portion of petroleum-based transportation fuels.



Dr. Martin Keller, Director, DOE Bioenergy Science Center (BESC) will describe use of microorganisms that are able to carry out direct conversion of biomass into ethanol is known as consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). The Bioenergy Science Center (BESC) is exploring two hypotheses. First, that this one-step game-changing strategy can be improved by engineered microbes. Second, that synergies between modified reduced recalcitrance plants can be exploited with improved enzymes and microbes. BESC is mining natural diversity for new biocatalysts, especially under thermophilic conditions. Model CBP organisms (such as Clostridium thermocellum and its cellulosomes) are used to explore how the microbes and enzymes interact with the plant cell walls. Strategies and processes for using and implementing CBP are examined.



Dr. Blake Simmons, Vice President, Deconstruction, DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), will present on Ionic liquids, which are novel solvents that show great promise for lignin and cellulose solubilization. Instant rejection of dissolved polysaccharides upon addition of anti-solvent shows promise for efficient solvent recovery in addition to other desired attributes such as low volatility, non-flammability and thermal stability. Although ionic liquids have been shown to be very effective in cellulose solubilization, the disposition of hemicellulose and lignin are not fully understood. The aim of our research is to develop a fundamental understanding of ionic liquid pretreatment by monitoring and analyzing process streams. To that end, we have employed HPAEC, XRD, FTIR, NIR, NMR and SEM to study the impact of ionic liquid pretreatment on switchgrass and corn stover. We will present the results from these measurements in the context of developing and selecting optimized ionic liquid pretreatment conditions for selective depolymerization of either cellulose or lignin, whereby fractionation of different cellulosic and lignin components could be realized.



Dr. Bruce Dale, Improved Biomass Processing Thrust Leader, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), will present on “Grassoline” and sustainability considerations for a growing biofuels sector [additional material to be submitted]. Biofuels, especially second generation biofuels, can provide very large sustainability improvements in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, nitrate leaching, food/feed production, rural economic development and land use efficiency. However, these benefits will not occur automatically, but must be designed into the system. This presentation describes how a systems view and fundamental understanding of the driving forces behind biofuel production can be leveraged to provide a more sustainable world.



Moderator: Brian Davison, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (United States)

Presenter 1: Overcoming Biomass Recalcitrance with Ionic Liquids
Blake Simmons, Sandia National Labs, (United States)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 2: Grassoline in Your Tank: Making Sure Biofuels Deliver on the Promise of Sustainability 
Bruce Dale, Michigan State University, Department of Chemical Engineering, (United States)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 3: Understanding and Improving the Direct Bioconversion of Biomass at the BioEnergy Science Center  
Brian Davison, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, (United States)  []

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Panel Organizer:
John Houghton, US Department of Energy, (United States)

Why should your submission should be selected for this year’s program?
The three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers are conducting cutting edge research in the biofuel field and will be providing major advances for an expansion of the biofuels sector. They will have been in operation a little over eighteen months and will have strong scientific messages for the audience. They receive about $25 million each per year. We have one Center Director and two senior manager/scientists presenting.