BioFuels Journal

The following Sun Grant Initiave awards were presented this year from the South East SGI Region, University of Tennessee:

Integrated Projects

• Optimization of Pretreatments for the Production of Ethanol from Genetically Modified Hardwoods with High Cellulose and Low Lignin Content, Hasan Jameel; North Carolina State University (2 year project; $165,000 DOT, $288,666 Total Project).

Objective: Evaluating different physical and chemical pretreatment technologies on the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of genetically modified hardwoods and to identify the most economical pretreatment. • Bacterial adaptations for enhanced cellulose utilization: a sys tems approach, Sue Nokes, University of Kentucky (3 year project; $250,000 DOT, $320,576 Total Project).

Objective: Demonstration of a broad range of metabolic pathway responses of C. thermocellum bacteria using dissolved gas/growth rate as environmental perturbations to improve ethanol production.

• Enzymatic and Multiphase Solution Processing of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Subramanian Ramakrishnan, Florida A&M University (3 year project; $250,000 DOT, $351,289 Total Project).

Objective: Development of an integrated economical process for the saccharification of lignocellulosic residual biomass into energy-related products.

• Mechanisms of Surfactant Effects on Biomass Conversion, Maren Roman, Virginia Tech (3 year project; $299,904 DOT, $364,323 Total Project).

Objective: Development a comprehensive understanding (set of parameters) of the mechanisms by which surfactants enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.

• Comparative Genomics Guided Genetic Modification of Switchgrass Cell Wall for Improved Lignin Characteristics and Increased Cellulose Availability, Neal Stewart, University of Tennessee (2 year project; $250,000 DOT, $309,793 Total Project).

Objective: Identification of key switchgrass genes for lignin down-regulation and develop modified switchgrass plants for future research.

• Development of a microbial factory for efficient conversion of biodiesel glycerol to value-added products, Sang-Jin Suh, Auburn University (3 year project; $298,937 DOT, $458,234 Total Project).

Objective: Development of genetic engineering and metabolic engineering tools that enable the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria to function as microbial factory for converting biodiesel glycerol to value-added products to improve the long-term sustainability of biodiesel industry and to generate new income for farmers and agricultural industries.

Seed Projects

• Identifying novel lignin and lignocellulose degrading enzymes from natural decomposer communities, Alison Buchan, University of Tennessee (1 year project; $50,000 DOT, $67,063 Total Project).

Objective: Establishment of a microbial consortia capable of degrading lignin and lignocellulosic components of switchgrass and determination of rates of switchgrass lignin and lignocellulose degradation.

• Conversion of agricultural materials to biofuels and bioproducts by Thermotoga neapolitana, a hyperthermophilic, anaerobic bacterium, Mike Henson, University of Tennessee (1 year project; $49,907 DOT, $61,136 Total Project).

Objective: Assessment of the production rate of hydrogen from potential bioenergy feed stocks, such as, waste fruits and switchgrass.

• A novel approach to facilitate accessibility of cellulose and hemicellulose: characterization of hybrid poplar transformed with a tyrosine rich peptide gene, Haiying Liang, Clemson University (1 year project; $15,714 DOT, $18,810 Total Project).

Objective: Development of a process for replacing a small fraction of lignin-lignin linkages with lignin-peptide linkages that will not compromise plant fitness but will facilitate the “cracking” of lignin so that the cellulosic components can be more easily hydrolyzed.

• Evaluation of Reduced Lignin Softwood and Hardwoods for Improved Conversion to Bioethanol, Gary Peter, University of Florida (1 year project; $49,950 DOT, $60,981 Total Project).

Objective: Development of a process to increase the amount and efficiency of hemicellulose extraction and an analysis of the yield and efficiency of low-lignin wood conversion to biofuels.

• Use of Complex Fluids for Enhanced Cellulosic Pre-treatment Orlando Rojas, North Carolina State University (1 year project; $50,000 DOT, $66,621 Total Project).

Objective: Development and analysis of a novel rout using complex fluids, mainly microemulsion systems, for enhanced penetration in the micro-and nano-capillary structure of wood for biomass pretreatment.

• Biological energy production from biomass by wood-feeding termites, Jiang-Zhong Sun, Mississippi State University (1 year project; $50,000 DOT, $60,003 Total Project).

Objective: Evaluation and analysis of hydrogen and methane gas production of different subterranean termite species with their associated symbiotic microorganisms and assembly of a prototype of an energy gas production system utilizing termites in a sustainable to produce hydrogen.

• Agglomeration of Biomass Feedstocks for Bioenergy Applications, Oladrian Fasina, Auburn University (1 year project; $49,709 DOT, $70,617 Total Project).

Objective: Development of farm-level, low-pressure methods for agglomerating biomass feedstocks into forms (cubes/compacts) that are suitable for economical and efficient handling, storage and transportation of biomass.