Introduction In 2007 the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) established that by 2022, 36 billion gallons of biofuel are to come from renewable fuel sources. More specifically, the mandate requires the production of cellulosic biofuels to increase to 16 billion gallons ethanol equivalent annually by 2022 (Energy Independence and Security Act, 2007). Cellulosic biofuels are derived from ...

Background Clostridium thermocellum is a promising microorganism for conversion of cellulosic biomass to biofuel, without added enzymes; however, the low ethanol titer produced by strains developed thus far is an obstacle to industrial application. Results Here, we analyzed changes in the relative concentration of intracellular metabolites in response to gradual addition of ethanol to growing...

With the advent of biorefinery technologies enabling plant biomass to be processed into biofuel, many researchers set out to study and improve candidate biomass crops. Many of these candidates are C4 grasses, characterized by a high productivity and resource use efficiency. In this review the potential of five C4 grasses as lignocellulosic feedstock for biofuel production is discussed. These in...

Bioethanol production from lignocellulose is considered as a sustainable biofuel supply. However, the low cellulose hydrolysis efficiency limits the cellulosic ethanol production. The cellulase is strongly inhibited by the major end product cellobiose, which can be relieved by the addition of β-glucosidase. In this study, three β-glucosidases from different organisms were respectively expressed...

Prior studies have estimated that a liter of bioethanol requires 263-784 L of water from corn farm to fuel pump, but these estimates have failed to account for the widely varied regional irrigation practices. By using regional time-series agricultural and ethanol production data in the U.S., this paper estimates the state-level field-to-pump water requirement of bioethanol across the nation. Th...

Exploring the adsorption and separation of water, methanol, and ethanol is important concerning the use of a sustainable energy source from biofuel. In this paper, the effects of the flexibility of substituted groups have been studied based on three iso-reticular metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), in which the pore surface is decorated with propargyl (-CH2-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CH), all...

We show that the cost of increasing biofuel mandates given a binding ethanol blend wall will fall disproportionately on diesel fuel consumers. The extent of the burden on diesel fuel consumers is explained neither by their relatively more inelastic demand nor by blenders seeking to capitalize on the biodiesel tax credit. Relaxing the blend wall constraint by increasing the potential demand for ...

Synergies Between Heme Peroxidases and Cellulases in the Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Feedstocks to Ethanol Christine Kelly, Oregon State University OVERVIEW Forest thinning, particularly forestry wastes composed of softwoods, in the Western region are a major potential source of biomass for biofuel production. However, softwoods, such as Douglas fir, tend to be more resistant to conversion...

This work proves for the first time the bioelectrochemical production of butyrate from CO2 as a sole carbon source. The highest concentration of butyrate achieved was 20.2 mMC, with a maximum butyrate production rate of 1.82 mMC d(-1). The electrochemical characterisation demonstrated that the CO2 reduction to butyrate was hydrogen driven. Production of ethanol and butanol was also observed ope...

Accelerating biofuel production has been promoted as an opportunity to enhance energy security, offset greenhousegas emissions and support rural economies. However, large uncertainties remain in the impacts of biofuels on air quality and climate1,2. Sugar-cane ethanol is one of the most widely used biofuels, and Brazil is its largest producer3. Here we use a life-cycle approach to produce spati...