MRI: Acquistion of Instrumentation for a Biofuels Research Laboratory

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Proposal: 0722802PI: George HuberInstitution: University of Massachusetts, AmherstTitle: MRI-- Acquisition of Instrumentation for a Biofuels Research LaboratoryThis proposal seeks the acquisition of instrumentation for a state-of-the-art biofuels research laboratory including a high-throughput catalytic reactor (which can simultaneously test up to 31 catalysts), a catalytic pyrolysis reactor, a 4-reactor parallel fermentation system, and analytical equipment (HPLC and two GCs). The configuration of this instrumentation has been carefully designed around a diverse user community whose interests include heterogeneous catalysis, biological catalysis, pyrolysis, metabolic pathway analysis, agronomy, kinetic modeling, and computational chemistry. The instrumentation will be located and maintained in the Chemical Engineering Department by full-time technicians. The Chemical Engineering Department has a well-developed infrastructure for student training and instrument maintenance. Intellectual Merit: The user community for this instrument is inherently multidisciplinary including faculty from three colleges and five departments: Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Plant Soil and Insect Science. The common need of these investigators is to understand the chemistry, biology and reaction pathways involved in biofuels production. The requested equipment will be used to answer scientific questions regarding reaction chemistry, catalyst structure vs. reactivity, catalyst design at the nano-level, fermentation pathways, biomass feedstocks, and metabolic engineering strategies. Specific projects that will substantially benefit from this instrumentation include: ? Production of biofuels by aqueous-phase processing of biomass-derived feedstocks ? Aqueous-phase processing of fast pyrolysis oils ? Catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass-derived feedstocks ? Improved nanomaterials for biofuels production ? Integrated cellular and process engineering for optimal ethanol production from Saccharomyces cerevisiae ? Optimization of Clostrium phytofermentans fermentation for ethanol production ? Ethanol production in an integrated forest biorefinery ? Genetically modified plants for biofuel production: biodiesel production from Crambe Broader Impacts: This proposed experimental facility will have a strong impact on the local environment at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst at several levels. It will serve as a focal point for several research projects and enable collaborative research that is interdisciplinary and timely. The proposed equipment will represent the cornerstone of a leading biofuel laboratory in the United States, enhancing our ability to recruit and retain superior graduate students and faculty. Graduate students from underrepresented groups will be recruited in collaboration with established outreach programs at University of Massachusetts. This facility will increase funding from the private sector, and we are currently working with several companies to commercialize a number of biofuel related technologies. The requested instruments will positively impact education in two ways. A centralized facility will be utilized by a multi-disciplinary group of faculty and students at the graduate and undergraduate levels, providing an ideal learning environment for integrating research with education. The initial estimates indicate that at least 17 graduate and undergraduate students will be heavy equipment users, with additional student researchers expected as they advertise the facility across the campus. Secondly, the catalytic reactor and fermentation equipment will be integrated into two senior-level laboratory courses offered by the Chemical Engineering Department. The team will encourage other departments to develop similar laboratory course experiments. The proposed research and teaching activities will facilitate the development of renewable liquid transportation fuels from plant biomass, thus alleviating problems (global warming, political instability, etc.) caused by national dependence on fossil fuels.