North Carolina State University is seeking an industry partner to commercialize a novel method for the ionic liquid based pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials for biofuel production. US Patent No. 8182557 has issued on this technology.Ethanol is gaining in popularity as an alternative fuel and is currently primarily made from the starch in kernels of field corn. However the use of corn as a starting material is a severe limitation since corn is a valuable food source.
A researcher at the University of California Davis working in cooperation with an outside collaborator have developed a multi-stage process and system for treating organic waste materials. This process produces a high-quality compost derived from food waste and other organic materials while avoiding the environmental problems of traditional composting methods such as emissions of odors volatile organic compounds and other noxious gases.
Background: Methods to produce bioethanol from cornstarch or sugarcane are inadequate to meet the global demand for renewable fuels. To be sustainable biofuel production should rely on abundant cheap inedible lignocellulose – like switchgrass corn stover wheat straw wood chips and waste paper. However lignocellulose is a complex material made of cellulose wrapped by tough hemicellulose and lignin. For this reason lignocellulose is more difficult than starch to break down and convert (hydrolyze) into fermentable sugars.
Genetic optimization of biomass is necessary to improve the rates and final yields of sugar release from woody biomass. Areas that would benefit from genetic optimization include growth rate environmental stress tolerance yields of easily fermentable polysaccharides total lignin content lowering biomass recalcitrance to fermentation and wood density. Successful application of biotechnology requires both gene discovery and a proper means for gene expression control.
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.
The concern about the effective use of the unused wood biomass from energy security or a perspective of CO2 reduction is increasing. The knowledge corresponding to the multi-energy supply which paired the biological oil manufacture technology from the woody biomass by rapid thermal cracking gasification and biological oil-ization is held. (The level of practical use is reached by joint research with a plant manufacturer.) In addition it owns the knowledge about the circulation and storage corresponding to the properties of biological oils flammability etc.
Background: Eastern cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) that are suitable for planting in Iowa that produce increased biomass have been developed at Iowa State University. Technology Description: Fast growing trees such as aspen cottonwood and eucalyptus can be grown as so-called short rotation crops and have potential to be used as a source of woody biomass for the production of biofuels such as wood pellets and cellulosic ethanol.
Cellulosic biomass has tremendous potential as a renewable resource for the production of fuels and chemicals. It is especially promising because it is inexpensive and readily available from crop residues and forests. However it is difficult to transform into usable small molecules such as 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF). HMF is acknowledged widely as a key building block for renewable materials and has been highlight by the U.S. Dept. of Energy as a crucial renewable chemical.
Dr. Steckl and his lab created a platform for an improved electrowetting-based display device that is rollable has the look and feel of paper yet has the potential to deliver books news and even video in bright-light conditions. This device uses specialty paper as the substrate and adds several layers of transparent materials: electrically conducting and insulating layers a hydrophobic layer and water. Individual pixels are defined by a hydrophilic grid that confines small amounts of opaque colored oil.
Plant biomass represents a vast and renewable source of energy. However harnessing this energy requires breaking down tough lignin and cellulose cell walls. In nature certain microbes can deconstruct biomass into simple sugars by secreting combinations of enzymes. Two organisms that utilize cellulose are Clostridium thermocellum and Trichoderma reesei. Both are well-known and relied upon in the biomass field. Yet research suggests another microorganism of the Streptomyces bacteria group may hold previously unrecognized potential.