Evaluation of Reduced Lignin Softwood and Harwoods for Improved Conversion to Bioethanol
Principal Investigator |
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Gary Peter |
University of Florida |
Co-Investigators |
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Lonnie Ingram |
University of Florida |
James Preston |
University of Florida |
Project Overview: An important societal goal is to reduce our dependence on oil by developing cost competitive fuels that also reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. The conversion of renewable sources of plant biomass into liquid fuels such as ethanol offers one such opportunity. A number of processes have been developed to convert biomass to ethanol; however, improvements in all steps in bioconversion are required to make ethanol from biomass commercially competitive with gasoline. Plant feedstocks with reduced amounts of lignin and increased amounts of fermentable carbohydrates represent an important area of current research to improve the efficiency and cost of biofuels produced from plant biomass. In the proposed research we will quantify the improvements in yield and efficiency of converting increased carbohydrate and reduced lignin softwood and hardwoods into ethanol. The results of this research will inform us of the potential magnitude of increases in yield of ethanol cost that can be achieved through the use of reduced lignin woody biomass. If these estimated improvements are substantial then it could promote the planting of trees with reduced lignin and higher carbohydrate contents. It will also permit more detailed research into the mechanisms that limit conversion, such as pretreatment, wall porosity, structure and function, which will be important for a more fundamental understanding of biomass conversion.