DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Science Center (GLBRC)
Lead Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Principal Investigator: Timothy J. Donohue
Partnering Institutions:
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (lead institution): The GLBRC’s lead partner provides world-renowned expertise in genome-enabled analysis of plant and microbial pathways, networks, and systems; computational analysis of bioenergy proteins, organisms, and ecosystems; and discovery, production, and improvement of bioenergy enzymes.
- Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing: MSU researchers are experts in the breakdown and synthesis of plant cell walls, oils, and other polymers; the breakdown of cellulose in plant stems, stalks, and leaves, including trees and other woody plants; and the development of biofuel-production practices that are both environmentally and economically sustainable.
- University of Florida, Gainesville: This GLBRC partner institution brings expertise in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol using novel bacterial agents.
- Iowa State University (ISU), Ames: ISU researchers are experts in constructing economic models of biomass practices.
- Illinois State University, Normal: Researchers at Illinois State University work on the genetic and molecular analysis of switchgrass.
- Lucigen Corporation, Middleton, Wisconsin: Lucigen provides valuable expertise in bioprospecting for new biomass deconstruction enzymes.
- DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee: ORNL will enable the GLBRC to evaluate biomass sustainability by modeling ecosystem changes that could result from the biofuel production cycle.
- DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington: PNNL enables the GLBRC to complete high-throughput analysis of bioenergy proteins and organisms and analyze the entire life cycle of bioenergy practices.
Location of Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Funds / Support From Other Sources:- $104 million from the state of Wisconsin, including $100 million for a Bioenergy building at the Madison campus and $4 million for new faculty hires
Project Description:
The DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is led by the University of Wisconsin– Madison, in close partnership with Michigan State University. Located in the world’s most productive agricultural region, the GLBRC is exploring scientifically diverse approaches to converting sunlight and various plant feedstocks—agricultural residues, wood chips, and grasses—into biofuels. In addition to its broad range of scientific research projects, the GLBRC is collaborating with agricultural researchers and producers to help develop the most economically viable and environmentally sustainable practices for bioenergy production. The new GLBRC facility is part of the University of Wisconsin– Madison campus.
GLBRC scientific research is organized into five focus areas:
1. Improving Plant Biomass
2. Improving Biomass Processing
3. Improving Biomass Conversion
4. Fostering Sustainable Bioenergy Practices
5. Creating Technologies to Enable More AdvancedBioenergy Research
Research Strategy:
1. Improving Plant Biomass
In addition to investigating how genes affect cell-wall digestibility in model plants, cornstalks, and switchgrass, GLBRC researchers will be breeding plants that produce more hemicelluloses, starches, oils, or new forms of lignin that are easier to process into fuels. Plant oils have twice the energy content of carbohydrates and require little energy to extract and convert into biodiesel. Soybean oil is used primarily to produce biodiesel in the United States; however, oil yield per acre of soybeans needs to be improved. GLBRC researchers aim to increase the energy density of grasses and other nontraditional oil crops by understanding and manipulating the metabolic and genetic circuits that control accumulation of oils and other easily digestible, energy-rich compounds in plant tissues.
2. Improving Biomass Processing
Located at the intersection of America’s agricultural heartland and its abundant northern forest biomass, the GLBRC has access to a rich diversity of raw biomass for study. GLBRC biomass-processing research will discover and improve natural cellulose-degrading enzymes extracted from diverse environments. Improved enzymes created by the GLBRC protein-production pipeline are used in analyzing a range of plant materials and pretreatment conditions to identify the best combination of enzymes, chemicals, and physical processing for enhancing the digestibility of specific biomass sources. GLBRC researchers will identify and quantify small molecules generated by different pretreatment methods and examine how these molecules impact biofuel yield.
To decrease the costs of producing and using enzymes to break down cellulose in plants, researchers in this focus area are working with plant-biomass researchers. They are expressing biomass-degrading enzymes in the stems and leaves of corn and other plants—essentially designing plants to “self-destruct” on cue in the biofuel-production facility.
3. Improving Biomass Conversion
GLBRC biomass-conversion research is driven by the need to increase the quantity, diversity, and efficiency of energy products derived from plant biomass. Cellulosic ethanol is a major focus for GLBRC research, but the center also aims to improve both biological and chemical methods for converting plant material into hydrogen, electricity, or other chemicals that can replace fossil fuels. In addition to converting plants into energy, GLBRC researchers are developing microbes that directly convert sunlight into hydrogen or electricity. To create a microbe capable of carrying out all biologically mediated biofuel-production steps, GLBRC scientists are taking a somewhat novel approach. Instead of modifying an effective biomass-degrading microbe to produce ethanol, the researchers are starting with efficient ethanol-producing microbes and engineering them to produce enzymes and pathways to break down cellulose.
4. Fostering Sustainable Bioenergy Practices
For the bioenergy economy to have a positive impact on the United States, complex issues in agricultural, industrial, and behavioral systems must be addressed. To create a better understanding of the larger context that ultimately influences the direction and acceptance of new biotechnologies, GLBRC scientists plan to examine the environmental and socioeconomic dimensions of converting biomass to biofuel.
To determine the best practices for biofuel production, GLBRC researchers will study issues such as minimizing energy and chemical inputs for bioenergy-crop production; reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the entire biofuel-production life cycle; and understanding the environmental impacts of removing leftover stalks, stems, and leaves from food crops. GLBRC scientists also will study the social and financial incentives needed to promote the adoption of more environmentally beneficial practices.
5. Creating Technologies to Enable More Advanced Bioenergy Research
This focus crosses all areas of research by providing cutting-edge, genome-based technologies that enable the innovative discoveries and creative solutions needed to advance bioenergy research. GLBRC researchers will deploy high-throughput, automated screens for genes and proteins in plants and microbes that affect biomass and biofuel production; integrate information from multiple research approaches; and develop predictive models for relevant enzymes, pathways, or networks that can guide the development of new plants, enzymes, or microbes that would be useful in a biofuel-production pipeline.
Industry Partnerships
The GLBRC will generate linkages with the private sector that will help bring technologies to the marketplace. New technologies developed at the GLBRC will be tested in production-line facilities.Education and Outreach
With a history of excellence in the land-grant missions of education, training, and outreach, GLBRC academic partners are deeply committed to training the bioenergy leaders of tomorrow, while removing today’s bottlenecks in the biofuel pipeline. The partners will offer new bioenergy-focused summer research programs, labs, seminars, and special courses. By working with existing programs at university partners, GLBRC scientists also plan to develop workshops and educational modules for K–12 teachers on carbon chemistry, sustainability, and biodiversity issues related to biofuel production. Additionally, GLBRC researchers will develop informative materials and host public forums to raise awareness of and generate support for biofuels among farmers and communities.
Center Website: http://www.greatlakesbioenergy.org
