Collection Citation

 Collection TitleVideos from the DOE BioEnergy Science Center: Turning Grass into Gas 
 Collection SponsorUSDOE - Office of Science (SC) 
 Other SponsorsArborGen,LLC; Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Ceres,Inc; Verenium Corporation; Georgia Institute of Technology; Mascoma Corporation; National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Dartmouth College; Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation; University of Georgia; University of Tennessee; North Carolina State University; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Cornell University; University of California-Riverside; University of Minnesota 
 Host WebsiteDOE BioEnergy Center located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) 
 Main Content TypeMultimedia 
 Subject Categories9 - BIOMASS FUELS 
 KeywordsBioenergy; Alternate fuels; Cellulosic feedstock; Switchgrass; Poplar; Biochemical conversion; Greenhouse gases; 
 DescriptionBioenergy is energy derived from biological resources, which are also known as biomass. Biofuel is formed from biomass, and can be used to power greener vehicles and herald more efficient energy production. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) set a renewable fuel standard of 36 billion gallons of biofuel processed annually by 2022, with 16 billion gallons coming from cellulosic feedstock such as switchgrass and poplar. To reach this goal, the Department of Energy (DOE) set up three Bioenergy Research Centers in September 2007. These centers research better ways to use and modify biomass in order to turn it into biofuel.

The BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) is researching methods to easily break down cell walls of switchgrass and poplar to form biofuel, as well as researching enzymes and microbes that will do the breaking down of the plant material. By modifying the genome of the biomass, BESC can form a more populous, easily broken down feedstock that will grow easily and be available for use. By modifying the genome of the microbes, the process of breaking down the biomass into biofuel will be expedited and simplified at the same time.[Copied from http://bioenergycenter.org/what-is-bioenergy/]

At this writing (7/09) BESC makes the following video (with same-screen viewing of slides) presentations available:

  • Bioenergy Conversion and the BioEnergy Science Center: An Introduction to the Challenges in Making Cellulosic Biofuels, Dr. Brian Davison (ORNL)
  • Lignin Biosynthesis and Its Manipulation for the Development of Dedicated Bioenergy Crops, Dr. Richard Dixon and Dr. Samuel Roberts (Noble Foundation)
  • Microbial Cellulose Utilization: Fundamentals and Biotechnology, Dr. Lee Lynd (Dartmouth College)
  • The Clostridium Thermocellum Cellulosome: A Molecular Machine for Cellulose Degradation, Dr. J.H. David Wu (University of Rochester)
    • Biobutanol from Biomass, Dr. Hans Blaschek (University of Illinois)
  • Applied Photosynthesis: Putting Photosystem I to Work, Dr. Barry Bruce (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
  • Plant Genome Structure and Evolution as Tools for the Improvement of Biomass Crops, Dr. Jeffrey Bennetzen (University of Georgia)
  • Cool C4 Photosynthesis. Miscanthus -- A Means to Achieve Large Sustainable Supplies of Bioenergy Feedstock without Impacts on Food Production, Dr. Stephen Long (University of Illinois)
  • Second Generation Pentose Utilizing Yeast Strains, Dr. Bärbel Hahn-Hägerdahl (Lund University, Sweden)
  • Biomass to Hydrogen Gas at 100 °C, Dr. Michael Adams (University of Georgia)
  • Light Harvesting for Algal Biofuels, Dr. Krishna Niyogi (University of California, Berkeley)

The Center also provides a photo gallery, fact sheets, and other media-rich information.

 
 DDE NumberDDE00327 
 Special InterfaceNo 
 Registration_RequiredNo