Research Overview
Plants harvest energy from the sun and carbon from the atmosphere to create lignocellulosic biomass, one of the largest sources of raw material in the biosphere. On an energy basis, this material is cheaper than petroleum. Its low cost and widespread availability make it a promising feedstock to produce the renewable fuels and chemicals that are necessary for modern life. My group is working to engineer organisms that naturally break down lignocellulose into efficient biocatalysts that can withstand the rigors of industrial-scale fermentation, and provide an important foundation for the nascent cellulosic biofuels industry.
Real-world Impact
“If engineering is the application of science for human benefit, then the engineer must be a student not only of the application of science, but of human benefit as well.”
John Prausnitz, National Academy of Sciences
Improved energy security. The United States has the potential to produce more than 1.5 billion tons of dry biomass (by 2040), which could replace 30% of US petroleum consumption. Producing biofuels domestically reduces our dependence on foreign petroleum and the associated leverage that petroleum exporting countries have on US foreign policy.
Rural economic development. The cost of biomass transportation motivates processing near the rural location where the biomass is produced. Biorefineries create jobs in the agriculture and forestry services for feedstock production and these jobs persist over the entire life of the biorefinery.
Greenhouse gas reduction. Cellulosic biofuels have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in several ways. First, carbon in the cellulose feedstock is primarily derived from atmospheric CO2. Second, the process of growing cellulosic feedstocks results in soil carbon fixation. Finally, the CO2 produced during ethanol fermentation can be pumped underground at low cost (i.e. long-term geological sequestration), resulting in net negative greenhouse gas emissions in some scenarios.
