Background: Research for a novel endo-hydrogenase enzyme in purple non-sulfur phonsynthethic bacteria able to produce and output hydrogen gas at sustained high rates when coupled to photophosphorylation in phototrophic cultures has been long sought after. Attempts have been made to genetically reconfigure the gene-set encoding of endo-hydrogenase; whereby enhancing endo-hydrogenase activity for in vivo hydrogen gas production. Distinguishable results from research on direct in vivo conversion of light energy into H2 gas as a biofuel has recently come to light at UCSC.

A biofuel cell is a device that directly converts microbial metabolic power into electricity using electrochemical technology. Microbial fuel cells have previously used systems with two compartments: (1) an aerated cathode compartment containing a chemical solution of ferric cyanide and oxygen; and (2) an anode compartment containing bacterial cells electron mediator and reduced substrate.

Background: In recent years the interest in alternative fuel has grown rapidly. There are many different alternatives on the market from corn oil to algae. The largest advantages of algae biofuel are that it is a renewable source of energy and that algae may be grown autotrophically using energy from the sun. Autotrophic growth helps reduce or avoid the “food v. fuel” debate related to corn ethanol and vegetable oil biodiesel. There has been particular interest in algae such as microalgae that naturally accumulate oil since this oil is readily converted into biodiesel.

Due to recent factors such as climate concerns growing energy demand and energy security a push to replace petroleum-derived materials as fuels with renewable resources is being made. Many processes have been developed to convert biomass into fuels or other synthetic building blocks. Lignin a major component of plant biomass is a main target because it accounts for 40 percent of the energy content of biomass and it is the only biorenewable source of aromatics.

Lignocellulosic biomass is a very desirable feedstock for biofuel production. If the fermentation process for lignocellulose could be optimized conversion of this biomass could yield 25 to 50 billion gallons of ethanol or other biofuels per year. However lignocellulose which is composed of lignin cellulose and hemicelluloses is resistant to chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis. This resistance is a key limiting step in the conversion of biomass into fermentable sugars.

Cornell inventors identified glycosyl hydrolases (GH) from plant origins that contain carbohydrate binding domains (CBDs) that can be used to modify the structure of crystalline cellulose for more efficient biofuel production.

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) or electrochemical or biological cells are used to convert biomass material into liquid fuel and ultimately into electricity. They convert chemical energy into electrical energy through the catalytic reaction of micro-organisms. This process occurs in nature and researchers have had difficulty effectively and efficiently duplicating the process. MSU’s invention is an electrochemical cell that can be used to convert biomass material to liquid fuel electricity.

Background: Converting plant cellulose and hemicellulose into fermentable sugars is a major bottleneck in the biofuel industry. Chemical pretreatment and enzyme hydrolysis (breakdown) usually are required. Among chemical pretreatments ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) alkaline pretreatment has many advantages. For example it is a dry process and results in cleaved lignin-carbohydrate complexes without physical extraction. A variation on the process called extractive AFEX leads to the production of ‘cellulose III’ an artificial form of cellulose that may be easier to break down.

The production of microalgae as a feedstock for refining into biodiesel requires optimization in the design of bioreactors. This technology provides that optimization by increasing the production of algae by maximizing the presence of the distributed solar energy during daylight and also providing the use of artificial lighting during the nonavailability periods of solar energy. Gas is injected in the algal slurry at the bottom of the bioreactor and travels to the top where it is separated from the liquid.

Background: The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial partners interested in using genetically modified plants as an alternative source of cellulase enzymes for biofuel production and other applications.