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Perennial Bioenergy Crops

Biomass from fast-growing trees and grasses is a sustainable source of renewable energy. However we need to improve the yields of biomass feedstock to meet government objectives in bioenergy and biofuel. The biggest challenges are to improve yields without increasing inputs and to make more of the plants’ carbon available for conversion into biofuels.

Aims and objectives ­ Improve­willow­and­Miscanthus­as­sources­of­­•­­

sustainable biomass for bioenergy and biofuels.

­ Optimise­sustainable­biomass­yield­by­genetic­•­­improvement of plants to increase the amount of sunlight captured, the amount of carbon a plant can assimilate over a growing season and the partitioning of the carbon in harvested biomass.

­­ Identify­crop­variants­with­improved­•­­composition.

­­ Develop­tools­for­selecting­genotypes­in­which­•­­more of the carbon in the lignocellulosic (cell wall) component can be captured for bioenergy.

Optimising­biomass yield and composition for sustainable biofuels

Key resources and technologies National Willow Collection

­ Miscanthus­Germplasm­Collection

Long-running mapping populations and field experiments

­ ­Genetic­maps­and­genomic­resources­in­Miscanthus­and­willow

State-of-the-art laboratories for genomics and composition analysis

Expertise in biomathematics, bioinformatics and crop modelling

­ ­Industrial­partners­with­biofuel,­bioenergy­and­energy crop expertise

Established breeding pipelines in willow and Miscanthus­

Associated programme members ­ ­­Institute­of­Biological,­Environmental­and­Rural­Sciences­(IBERS)

­ ­­Imperial­College,­London

University of Cambridge

Shell

­ Ceres­Inc

Contact details Rothamsted Research

Harpenden, HertfordshireDr Angela Karp

AL5 2JQBSBEC Perennial Bioenergy Crops Programme Tel: 01582 763133 Ext 2855

e-mail: angela.karp@bbsrc.ac.uk

Cell Wall Sugars

We can use enzymes to break down plant biomass to release sugars for fermentation.­In­plants­the­sugars­are locked into the cell walls in ways we currently do not fully understand, preventing effective digestion by enzymes.­If­we­can­understand­better­how the plant sugars are arranged in the cell walls, we can select plants, and match them with the most appropriate enzymes, for more effective biofuel production.

Aims and objectives •­­Develop­rapid­technologies­to­study­the­detail­

of cell wall sugar content in biomass and the enzymes that release sugars.

•­­Improve­understanding­of­the­plant­genes­that­control cell wall sugar composition.

­ Discover­enzymes­that­can­release­sugars­from­•­­currently indigestible cell wall components.

­ Understand­how­some­cell­wall­sugar­structures­•­­inhibit effective digestion by enzymes.

Developing strategies to improve plants and enzymes for increased sugar release from biomass

Key resources and technologies Cell wall sugar (polysaccharide) analysis, metabolomics, proteomics and bioinformatics

Discovery of genes controlling plant cell wall polysaccharide synthesis

Polysaccharide hydrolase enzyme discovery

­ ­Industrial­partners­with­biofuel­and­bioinformatics expertise, and unique enzyme resources

Associated programme members Newcastle University

Shell

­ Novozymes­A/G

Contact details University­Of­Cambridge

Tennis Court Road Dr Paul Dupree

Cambridge CB2 1QW BSBEC Cell Wall Sugars Programme

Tel: 01223 333340 Department of Biochemistry

e-mail: p.dupree@bioc.cam.ac.uk

Cell Wall Lignin

Lignin is a strengthening and waterproofing polymer that encrusts the sugar-based polymers in plant cell walls, making them hard to access for biofuel production.­Our­challenge­is­to­discover­how the properties of lignin in barley straw can be changed, to make it easier to produce biofuel (or bioenergy) from this waste material without having any detrimental effects on the yield or quality of the crop.

Aims and objectives We aim to help make second generation biofuels both feasible and competitive by:

•­­Identifying­the­best­barley­varieties­for­bioenergy applications and determining how lignin content and structure influence the combustion properties of straw and the efficiency of biofuel production.

•­­Isolating­genes­and­genetic­markers­associated­with high biofuel yields that will be valuable tools for subsequent breeding of other improved energy­crops,­such­as­willow­and­Miscanthus.

Improving­barley­straw for bioenergy production and transferring the new knowledge to other crops

Key resources and technologies Lignin biology and chemistry expertise

Barley genetics/genomics

Systems biology

Extensive collections of barley elite varieties, landraces, mutants and an association genetics panel

Crop transformation

Bioinformatics

Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland (BioSS)

Associated programme members University of York

­ ­­SCRI

RERAD

Limagrain UK Ltd

Syngenta

­ ­AgroParisTec-INRA­joint­Research­Unit­of­Biological Chemistry

­ VIB,­Ghent­University

Contact details University­of­Dundee­at­SCRI

Professor Claire Halpin Invergowrie,­Dundee,­DD2­5DA

BSBEC Cell Wall Lignin Programme Tel: 01382 568505

College of Life Sciences e-mail: c.halpin@dundee.ac.uk

­ ­

Lignocellulosic Conversion To Bioethanol

To harness the potential of lignocellulosic (plant cell wall) materials for sustainable production of bioethanol, we need to optimise energy output without negative environmental, social or economic impacts. We will optimise the release of sugars from plant cell walls to produce a fermentable feedstock that microorganisms can use to produce fuels and develop robust microbial strains that can use these feedstocks to produce bioethanol.

Aims and objectives We aim to optimise conversion of plant cell wall material to bioethanol by:

•­­Developing­a­sustainability­tool­kit­to­optimise­energy balance and understand environmental, social and economic impacts of processes developed.

­ Discovering­novel­fungal­enzymes­that­can­•­­deconstruct plant cell walls.

•­­­Developing­green­engineering­and­chemical­approaches to release cell wall sugars.

­ Developing­novel­yeast­strains­and­fermentation­•­­processes that optimise bioethanol production.

Using agricultural and wood-industry wastes to create biofuel

Key resources and technologies Fermentation technology

Sustainability analysis

Associated programme members University of Bath

University of Surrey

BP

Bioethanol Limited

Briggs of Burton

British Sugar Limited

Coors Brewers Limited

­DSM

Ethanol Technology Limited

­ ­­HGCA

Pursuit Dynamics

­ ­­SABMiller

­ ­­Scottish­Whisky­Research­Institute

Contact details University of Nottingham

Sutton Bonington CampusProfessor Katherine Smart

Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UKBSBEC LACE Programme

Tel: 0115 951 6214School of Biosciences

Email: Katherine.Smart@nottingham.ac.uk

Second­Generation,­Sustainable, Bacterial Biofuels

Biobutanol is widely recognised as a superior biofuel to ethanol, in terms of energy content, ease of distribution, versatility and applications. However, the strains of bacteria currently used to produce biobutanol generate unwanted by-products­and­are­inefficient.­Moreover,­they are unable to utilise lignocellulose directly as a feedstock.

Aims and objectives We aim to create more environmentally friendly and sustainable processes for second generation biofuel production by:

•­­Using­synthetic­biology­approaches­to­generate­bacterial strains that can convert lignocellulose to fermentable sugars efficiently to maximise butanol productivity.

­ Testing­the­most­effective­strains­on­an­•­­industrial demonstration scale.

Optimising­production­of the more effective second generation biofuel biobutanol from non-food biomass

Key resources and technologies Advanced gene technologies

Synthetic biology

Systems biology

Biochemistry

Fermentation technology

Associated programme members Newcastle University

­ ­TMO­Renewables­Ltd

Contact details School­of­Molecular­Medical­Sciences

University of Nottingham Professor­Nigel­Peter­Minton­

Nottingham­NG7­2RD BSBEC­Second­Generation,­Sustainable,­Bacterial Biofuels Programme Tel. 0115 846 7458

Email: nigel.minton@nottingham.ac.uk

Marine­Wood­Borer­Enzyme Discovery

Sustainable liquid biofuels can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass such as wood and straw. These materials contain polysaccharides (polymers of sugars) that can be converted into simple sugars which can be fermented to produce liquid biofuels. Currently we lack effective enzymes to digest these woody materials. However, marine wood borers are voracious consumers of lignocellulose and have all the enzymes needed for its digestion.

Aims and objectives We have already sequenced the genes that are expressed in the marine wood borer gut and which encode the digestive enzymes. We will study the digestive process in borers and investigate the industrial applications of their enzymes for biofuel production.

New enzymes for the conversion of non-food plant biomass into biofuels

Key resources and technologies Comprehensive sequence database for genes encoding borer digestive enzymes

Automated protein production

Analytical biochemistry

Expertise in marine borer biology

Pilot facilities for lignocellulosic ethanol production

Associated programme members University of Portsmouth

­ ­Syngenta­Biomass­Traits­Group

Contact details University of York

Heslington, York, Professor­Simon­McQueen-Mason

YO10­5DD BSBEC­Marine­Wood­Borer­Enzyme­Discovery Programme Tel: 01904 434318

E-mail: sjmm1@york.ac.uk

The new Centre Our techniques

Key facts

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BIOMASS GROWTH

BIOMASS COMPOSITION

BIOMASS DECONSTRUCTION

FERMENTATION

FUEL

Improving perennial biomass crops

Manipulating lignin to optimise sugar release

Improving release of sugars from plant cell walls

Discovering new enzymes for sugar release

Developing yeast strains to ferment sugars

Bacterial fermentation of sugars in butanol

Ensuring sustainability

Widening the range of materials that can be starting materials for bioenergy

Changing plant cell walls, making them more amenable to breakdown

Optimising fermentations to produce energy

£27m investment to build research capacity in the UK

Virtual Centre brings together academic and industrial research partners

Six integrated programmes

Cost effective network of world leading science, encompassing fundamental and goal-directed research

www.bsbec.bbsrc.ac.uk