With increasing concerns of the long-term sufficiency of petroleum and its negative effects on the environment and globe, bioenergy produced from renewable resources such as lignocellulosic biomass are becoming attractive in the world energy market. Among various options of biofuels, bio-butanol, a versatile four carbon alcohol (C4H9OH) has been considered as a superior biofuel for its remarkable features, such as high energy density, hydrophobicity, and compatibility with today’s unmodified internal combustion engines and gasoline infrastructure. Electricity generation from sugars for portable electronic devices and implantable medical devices is also an attractive option. In this presentation, new advances in biochemical conversion of lignocellulose to n-butanol and electricity will be reported. Specifically, kinetic modeling of xylose to n-butanol taking into account the effect of sugar substrate, intermediate organic acids, and furfural/syringaldehyde inhibitors will be demonstrated. Transcriptional analysis of key genes in xylose fermentation metabolic pathway and strategies for improving n-butanol synthesis will be discussed. Electricity generation from pentose and hexose using microbial fuel cells and enzymatic bio-fuel cells will also be highlighted.

Time: 2:30-4:00 pm, Dec. 18, 2018 (Tuesday)

 Location: 911 Meeting Room, New Energy Building

                   Welcome to join us!