Biomass waste to value

农业部门产生了大量的生物质废物。收获玉米、小麦和大豆等产品后留下的生物质残留物必须得到妥善管理。如果这些废物通过露天燃烧和/或任由其分解处理，它们将向大气中释放温室气体（ghg）和颗粒物，对气候变化产生重大负面影响。废弃生物质产生了70%以上的一氧化二氮，一种比二氧化碳毒性高近300倍的温室气体。目前，通过秸秆燃烧发电、将作物秸秆致密化成燃料颗粒、堆肥以及在生物沼气池中利用农业垫层是正在采取的从生物质废物中提取价值的一些策略。在这里，我们建议开发基于微生物的技术，用于从富含碳水化合物的废弃物中制造增值产品，如下一代生物燃料。下一代生物燃料是汽油的可再生替代品，由小麦秸秆、玉米秸秆、木材残渣和柳枝稷等非传统原料生产而成。因此，本提案的总体目标是从农业部门产生的生物质废物中开发基于微生物的增值产品。更具体地说，这项研究旨在利用基因工程技术的进步与自然加速进化过程相结合，开发基于微生物的增强技术，用于从农业废料中生产生物燃料。总的来说，拟议的技术将有助于减少与化石燃料相关的温室气体，从而有助于加拿大政府到2050年实现二氧化碳净零排放经济的目标。

The agricultural sector generates enormous amounts of biomass waste. The biomass residues left over following the harvesting of products such as corn, wheat, and soya beans have to be properly managed. If these wastes are disposed by open air burning and/or allowed to decompose, they liberate greenhouse gases (GHGs) and particulate matter into the atmosphere that have a significant negative impact on climate change. Waste biomass contributes to more than 70% of nitrous oxide, a GHG nearly 300x more toxic than carbon dioxide. Currently, power generation by straw burning, densification of crop residues into fuel pellets, composting, and the utilization of agricultural bedding in bio-digesters are some of the strategies being pursued to extract value from biomass wastes. Here, we propose to develop microbial-based technologies for the manufacture of value-added products such as next generation biofuels from the carbohydrate-rich waste residues. Next-generation biofuels are renewable alternatives to gasoline, produced from non-traditional feedstock such as wheat straw, corn stover, wood residue and switch grass. Therefore, the overall goal of this proposal is to develop microbial-based value-added products from biomass waste generated by the agriculture sector. More specifically, this research aims to utilize advances in genetic engineering technology in conjunction with natural accelerated evolution processes to develop enhanced microbial-based technologies for the production of biofuels from agricultural waste material. Overall, the proposed technology will help reduce GHGs associated with fossil fuels and therefore contribute to the Canadian Government's mandate for a net zero carbon dioxide emission economy by 2050.