Advanced materials for the biochemical production of second generation biofuels and chemicals

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The proposed research will utilize advanced functional materials to overcome current bottlenecks in the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. The targeted bottlenecks are the conversion of raw materials into fermentable sugars and the removal of toxic products from the fermenter. The initial process of interest will be the production of biobutanol, a second-generation biofuel, as part of the biorefinery concept. The feedstock will be waste streams from industrial processes and lignocellulosic biomass. This stands in contrast to food crops such as corn currently used in bioethanol production, eliminating some of the ethical dilemmas of biofuel production and also reducing the environmental footprint. Lignocellulosic biomass (plant biomass such as lumber infected with mountain pine beetle) will initially be enzymatically converted into fermentable sugars followed by microbial fermentation into biobutanol or other products. The enzymatic step will be carried out in the presence of ionic liquids, potentially eliminating the need for additional pre-treatment. Ionic liquids (salts with melting points below 100 °C) have been shown to partly dissolve cellulose and lignin. Task-specific ionic liquids will be designed to dissolve the biomass while allowing for enzymatic activity, thereby providing a new route to produce fuels and chemicals from a variety of renewable resources.