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Abstract: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a promising bioenergy and bioproduct feedstock because of its high yield, N-fixation capacity, potential for planting in rotation with corn (Zea mays L.), and valuable protein co-product (leaf meal). Our objective was to examine the effect of growth environment on biomass yield, cellulosic ethanol traits, and paper pulp fiber characteristics of alfalfa stems. Landscape position (summit and mild slope), season of harvest (four harvests per season), and multiple years (2005 and 2006) provided environmental variation. Alfalfa stem samples were analyzed for cell wall carbohydrate and lignin concentration. Stems were subjected to dilute acid pre-treatment, enzymatic saccharification, and pulping processes to measure relevant cellulosic ethanol and paper production traits. Landscape position was not a significant source of variation for yield or any biomass quality trait. Yields varied among harvests in 2005 (1,410–3,265 kg ha−1) and 2006 (1,610–3,795 kg ha−1). All cell wall, conversion test, and paper production traits exhibited year by harvest interactions with no clear pattern. Total carbohydrates and lignin ranged from 440 to 531 g kg−1 DM and from 113 to 161 g kg-1 DM, respectively. Release of cell wall sugars by the conversion test ranged widely (419 to 962 g kg−1 DM). Fiber traits were similarly variable with length and fine content ranging from 1.24 to 1.59 mm and from 15.2% to 21.9%, respectively. Utilizing alfalfa biomass for cellulosic ethanol and paper pulp production will involve dealing with significant feedstock quality variation due to growth environment.

Abstract: The production of ethanol for the energy market has traditionally been from corn and sugar cane biomass. The use of such biomass as energy feedstocks has recently been criticised as ill-fated due to competitive threat against food supplies. At the same time, ethanol production from cellulosic biomass is becoming increasingly popular. In this paper, we analyse rice husk (RH) as a cellulosic feedstock for ethanol biofuel production on the ground of its abundance. The global potential production of bioethanol from RH is estimated herein and found to be in the order of 20.9 to 24.3 GL per annum, potentially satisfying around one fifth of the global ethanol biofuel demand for a 10% gasohol fuel blend. Furthermore, we show that this is especially advantageous for Asia, in particular, India and China, where economic growth and demand for energy are exploding.

Interest in algae as a feedstock for biofuel production has risen in recent years, due to projections that algae can produce lipids (oil) at a rate significantly higher than agriculture-based feedstocks. Current research and development of enclosed photobioreactors for commercial-scale algal oil production is directed towards pushing the upper limit of productivity beyond that of open ponds. So far, most of this development is in a prototype stage, so working production metrics for a commercial-scale algal biofuel system are still unknown, and projections are largely based on small-scale experimental data. Given this research climate, a methodical analysis of a maximum algal oil production rate from a theoretical perspective will be useful to the emerging industry for understanding the upper limits that will bound the production capabilities of new designs. This paper presents a theoretical approach to calculating an absolute upper limit to algal production based on physical laws and assumptions of perfect efficiencies. In addition, it presents a best case approach that represents an optimistic target for production based on realistic efficiencies and is calculated for six global sites. The theoretical maximum was found to be 354,000 L·ha−1·year−1(38,000 gal·ac−1·year−1) of unrefined oil, while the best cases examined in this report range from 40,700–53,200 L·ha−1·year−1(4,350–5,700 gal·ac−1·year−1) of unrefined oil.

Biofuels derived from plant cell wall lignocellulose have the potential to serve as an alternative source of energy, relieving dependence on finite petroleum reserves and reducing production of climate-changing greenhouse gases. To better elucidate cell wall structure, the plant research community has developed databases to host the accumulated information on plant cell wall-related enzymes. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive catalog of these databases, as well as to describe the data and tools that they make available. A Directory of Databases for Plant Cell Wall-Related Enzymes (plantcellwalls.ucdavis.edu) was also developed to provide links to all the databases reviewed in this paper and relevant publications.

Abstract: The development of a viable lignocellulosic ethanol industry requires multiple improvements in the process of converting biomass to ethanol. A key step is the improvement of the plants that are to be used as biomass feedstocks. To facilitate the identification and evaluation of feedstock plants, it would be useful to have a method to screen large numbers of individual plants for enhanced digestibility in response to combinations of specific pretreatments and enzymes. This paper describes a high-throughput digestibility platform (HTDP) for screening collections of germplasm for improved digestibility, which was developed under the auspices of the Department of Energy-Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (DOE-GLBRC). A key component of this platform is a custom-designed workstation that can grind and dispense 1–5 mg quantities of more than 250 different plant tissue samples in 16 h. The other steps in the processing (pretreatment, enzyme digestion, and sugar analysis) have also been largely automated and require 36 h. The process is adaptable to diverse acidic and basic, low-temperature pretreatments. Total throughput of the HTDP is 972 independent biomass samples per week. Validation of the platform was performed on brown midrib mutants of maize, which are known to have enhanced digestibility. Additional validation was performed by screening approximately 1,200 Arabidopsis mutant lines with T-DNA insertions in genes known or suspected to be involved in cell wall biosynthesis. Several lines showed highly significant (p < 0.01) increases in glucose and xylose release (20–40% above the mean). The platform should be useful for screening populations of plants to identify superior germplasm for lignocellulosic ethanol applications and also for screening populations of mutant model plants to identify specific genes affecting digestibility.

Abstract: Large areas of land contaminated with cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) are currently in agricultural production in the Campine region in Belgium. Cadmium contents in food and fodder crops frequently exceed legal threshold values, resulting in crop confiscation. This imposes a burden on agriculture and regional policy and, therefore, encourages proper soil management. One way to increase agricultural income and improve soil quality is by growing alternative nonfood crops such as willows in short-rotation coppice (SRC) systems that remediate the soil. This paper compares SRC of willow with rapeseed and energy maize regarding four attributes: metal accumulation capacity, gross agricultural income per hectare, CO2 emission avoidance potential, and agricultural acceptance. Based on multicriteria decision analysis, we conclude that, although SRC of willow has a high potential as an energy and remediating crop, it is unlikely to be implemented on the short term in Flanders unless the economic incentives for the farmers are improved.

The mission of the Joint BioEnergy Institute is to advance the development of the next-generation of biofuels—liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass. The papers in this volume describe some of the research conducted in the area of feedstocks development and biomass deconstruction.

Abstract: The mission of BioEnergy Sciences Center is to understand and overcome the recalcitrance of biomass to conversion by modifying plant cell walls with improved biocatalysts. The papers in this volume are from the plant transformation and the biomass characterization areas, and showcase the multidisciplinary and multi-institutional nature of the center.